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 8996418 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 97113280 epoch_slot_no: 172480 block_no: 8996241 slot_leader_id: 4581221 size: 27448 time: 2023-07-06 21:39:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5bf0330ac4eb394d5e81b2ce23009fd82623b9656a7c3ca06dc54a7540d0744bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mqmks9nnl8er83vfpzcdfnw59azlsnmghwcv3umg2uh9g83u58uqnrtmn2 op_cert: \x9e5e15b5e0f199c4f4ceb7bd2968ac79e595e8ce6a4e7c588716dd9af2049ead op_cert_counter: 13