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 8986574 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 96908272 epoch_slot_no: 399472 block_no: 8986397 slot_leader_id: 5053834 size: 24579 time: 2023-07-04 12:42:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xed3ad4ee48400e66e0dc94fba30b210a29b9ab996bffaf57fad4c7dd5eaf564eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ynv3nggu0wcaghs8rcp9vtklh4e943783fcz7ts47c27lup49yaqhh4kkn op_cert: \x761f8cc3bc48f3041e4df1fb70aa5d799f28ff95d0f1d42453147e6a291b61b7 op_cert_counter: 9