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 8986696 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 96911074 epoch_slot_no: 402274 block_no: 8986519 slot_leader_id: 4595854 size: 50550 time: 2023-07-04 13:29:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9914be71d4be9e941991906087a6b33d9a40b822a07349897e0dbab7c0688a1eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n4ml366004vvzm25cutqk0x2jpftcxtf29kdmazvgzueal5wztyslf05tq op_cert: \x342a53fdf58595ce6294a142855512a48fe7930422fe96b019024e4aa8ae4242 op_cert_counter: 14