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 8980744 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 96786365 epoch_slot_no: 277565 block_no: 8980567 slot_leader_id: 8404251 size: 34965 time: 2023-07-03 02:50:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x97aa319c9954ef51e87e9ad1ef2581f930c3b7a6275b03887426c336ab5879f5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wn4cq98ah5j9jkty47538y0pc3phy9jjvqtkkdgkuup5qgnddsgqyr6h8t op_cert: \x64dcdb74414f45a3cea08fbb95d18afb90333e3be5147405a3f2d3574a969728 op_cert_counter: 2