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 8980474 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 96780744 epoch_slot_no: 271944 block_no: 8980297 slot_leader_id: 8484836 size: 83385 time: 2023-07-03 01:17:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x197b5e1225d4abe608348780a2b85041c25045e1dd6fa5cafa0101c3bd61479cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fg58zges00zkj26lphma2h3g4sy2dsuefy3u6euywz69q9aaj5vqz97jx8 op_cert: \xcaa5d49b2883b5dbcc3fdd035121fd8a28c5c01125ee157315334b6b20d5e012 op_cert_counter: 1