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 8980306 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 96777542 epoch_slot_no: 268742 block_no: 8980129 slot_leader_id: 4636355 size: 42713 time: 2023-07-03 00:23:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5f599a8449bf36df0956eb26c0ee6212868021f982a3dab0298b3297fd312004Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s8t9cm805fjq7jyvl5ehdrqzqhykrv234vze03eh0s9evfnz5npqt5k68k op_cert: \x3563988aa2c5faa68660dd60d5ff1316a29dc80d333ce5986d4e24e4bed7fe17 op_cert_counter: 11