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 8996209 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 97109047 epoch_slot_no: 168247 block_no: 8996032 slot_leader_id: 4556264 size: 80366 time: 2023-07-06 20:28:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x86730cb11536d1c1036fedda3799c0af98896d41ed45ee1f1e9cee316c67fadaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x8944k6j572wpdtz4tn3l9pam2ddhp6an35ma4ug9mr2rvqflz3shpaj36 op_cert: \xdfb536b98c1988c8c02bce95050e69cdd21ebd36bea254b084e76adf00cfb631 op_cert_counter: 15