A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8978695 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 96744328 epoch_slot_no: 235528 block_no: 8978518 slot_leader_id: 5533593 size: 56054 time: 2023-07-02 15:10:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1de42ba51a5f41c1ea7c4365c922053dacad44287bb540e83e419356a437f91aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10s4fgpaf0vx9aeg7sueh2n55nwlgdqag2ehxp3tmdaed8q7cf3zq76jlz2 op_cert: \x005baf4ab127922dc342258d3c4a6cb69836b27fc8f0d139b56a2da454e819a1 op_cert_counter: 9