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 8986673 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96910376 epoch_slot_no: 401576 block_no: 8986496 slot_leader_id: 5253100 size: 18229 time: 2023-07-04 13:17:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x08b12ce72b30f6baacab66120e3467eae236892f91598f45eab58b9f81fd16cfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n7f3jsa9eacsgal4g62tu5j0sew52ahgek848hlvk6f4vhv5yjvsutxcz4 op_cert: \xf0c8422ac0a06e4d9f12dd7fcf71e1e4f8d35f9d713c608576484461a87c440b op_cert_counter: 10