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 8980338 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 96778346 epoch_slot_no: 269546 block_no: 8980161 slot_leader_id: 8164082 size: 69997 time: 2023-07-03 00:37:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6b7ad397b63c6ad99e5f3adbd454181b9db168341ef89930f1b9b8e5ba6e1598Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mqzz0sh24gm53aa9rqmc6h00enplvteu45dhrgeu5mhwt5cr8yjs36jhrp op_cert: \x4c87c095ca1347a5d6ab7ba43d634269a4bafafe3555a4c67e1756e0a23f5d29 op_cert_counter: 3