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 8980546 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 96782044 epoch_slot_no: 273244 block_no: 8980369 slot_leader_id: 4577258 size: 9369 time: 2023-07-03 01:38:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe69ecf5a8097ed01c1fbdb05b2f41a43e77b109727a37089ed6f0476558d2eccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qhfa2dr9m5whjr77pemfkt3cdcs53fqm3vk7d6fpugjgp74d7nysvcnwm2 op_cert: \x401ec6ff0e1b589c6ba07cc93fd337ddbfd7566e1d6df7596122245948cb4304 op_cert_counter: 14