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 8980017 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 96771253 epoch_slot_no: 262453 block_no: 8979840 slot_leader_id: 7730065 size: 30624 time: 2023-07-02 22:39:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x353d2ce8b9f99397be3ec1229b19b300d85760f8fef2e6f23af9269bc9fc693bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12mjklutxm5m5a98za4k4wfttjlv5eglz037nlm74dr5rgux2pm6qga5vg5 op_cert: \x95c2658c1d324a72ed847dc26994d5d16b774509e760eaece1415d383f87fe4f op_cert_counter: 3