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 8996398 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 97112814 epoch_slot_no: 172014 block_no: 8996221 slot_leader_id: 5359678 size: 88727 time: 2023-07-06 21:31:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x01872c470eea2b2f11d4a1b3cec66e48c9f0f56b27fe76cb323a16cd8ac42e7cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16gqxtw9rx2tsx3elm8rlet6fxjkxzzusxlqjdn07ly5npzwegucqr45mgt op_cert: \xed1ea0bef1ed985c43006f0f7afe7c4d5ef191c3d1e3b8604e6fceb58b4747c9 op_cert_counter: 9