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 8978849 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 96747500 epoch_slot_no: 238700 block_no: 8978672 slot_leader_id: 5151828 size: 87271 time: 2023-07-02 16:03:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0158c17fa1683d4b3cbb0f5916c9fe3ed305798e50ce530b16c0d4d1339327cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15k7lt8kzscha56uz6a5n882qupvu2hpe69jt4p2x35ug4lpj63qswls803 op_cert: \x3ee62ad11e9a339df7517071e5a79f17595d385768d540f8f4f3b88e67d15e0c op_cert_counter: 8