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 8980522 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 96781655 epoch_slot_no: 272855 block_no: 8980345 slot_leader_id: 4555892 size: 40879 time: 2023-07-03 01:32:26 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1b679af4258c4aec92da290a392b1c2e79c1612f4f9bade9302806d28167b7c5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pgcwdc0qvw7ejcrlqhxltpv5qrk4s8l8n3f64z8kjkaep6pqyljsxe7272 op_cert: \x1a1192c5d1850a0475a020a94123f4bf658a640382dd28796387ab471140dd9f op_cert_counter: 17