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 8980706 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96785392 epoch_slot_no: 276592 block_no: 8980529 slot_leader_id: 8484836 size: 88568 time: 2023-07-03 02:34:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8cee585b32d7b79dfabffdefcddfe0ec8d3125d03e21cb0fb9c5f8c0ce1e9b2aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fg58zges00zkj26lphma2h3g4sy2dsuefy3u6euywz69q9aaj5vqz97jx8 op_cert: \xcaa5d49b2883b5dbcc3fdd035121fd8a28c5c01125ee157315334b6b20d5e012 op_cert_counter: 1