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 8996404 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 97112998 epoch_slot_no: 172198 block_no: 8996227 slot_leader_id: 4594429 size: 78452 time: 2023-07-06 21:34:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x39e345f31e089d5b27267a920d32764d4402522aa36f4dbd8d9af2af264b08ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10lhmh865dzrfraz0l4ajrergmsdsdl4mmfvqthlu3jdhf0c7fgnsc40dt3 op_cert: \x346bbcb8710625f27344c2cdcfe1aceb29d469a2f42e0171f243867634f6da2b op_cert_counter: 13