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 8978720 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 96744737 epoch_slot_no: 235937 block_no: 8978543 slot_leader_id: 5066920 size: 16365 time: 2023-07-02 15:17:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdb77bfac2c73b2983402753db8d7b468c7da2fb7174ccf9a90775aa38cd58ebcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1veze9zl7jypnll73uqkq7kaxgpkwp2hr5lv5cvkh4p52zdz0u34s86fjp9 op_cert: \xaedbb8e943e3566c8b2c3801073f08ed605abdc6c5cde0832fab97d375699cd1 op_cert_counter: 14