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 8980621 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 96783676 epoch_slot_no: 274876 block_no: 8980444 slot_leader_id: 8404251 size: 9212 time: 2023-07-03 02:06:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4ea9263aeb467ba98cc63dc5c28c230558c14debb1573005629976d5a93be07fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wn4cq98ah5j9jkty47538y0pc3phy9jjvqtkkdgkuup5qgnddsgqyr6h8t op_cert: \x64dcdb74414f45a3cea08fbb95d18afb90333e3be5147405a3f2d3574a969728 op_cert_counter: 2