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 8986662 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 96910175 epoch_slot_no: 401375 block_no: 8986485 slot_leader_id: 4558052 size: 42896 time: 2023-07-04 13:14:26 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x05ae61da6b8d61914692e4c9796b2c8df8ad1968b3ec129d095d03cc34f39ab6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12cmp9tznzdsp64q4clmnyn20k78xewtn4m2uzmv5rjfkknvm6h4sztrzhl op_cert: \xc943db335042011feb302c2249980babb737e5884db258c67288dffb4189e7ab op_cert_counter: 16