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 8980168 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 96774414 epoch_slot_no: 265614 block_no: 8979991 slot_leader_id: 4557809 size: 84180 time: 2023-07-02 23:31:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x348df6e1ba8153a2d46e9ce1e1e0fcd30d99659040040703d093e915a5113d2eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y9m9n3mky4vhmungyeavy3sz47ddes80semnueneuzpaj7s7u7fs5w8kzn op_cert: \x8999cf1001cdb05c614aa949f81f483f501e9acf8a424da433672c690930b5ef op_cert_counter: 16