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 8996420 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 97113309 epoch_slot_no: 172509 block_no: 8996243 slot_leader_id: 5129168 size: 84112 time: 2023-07-06 21:40:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfb6f878069a40ef64bb7c41b1dc4196bb118bba19094293ee0010b181f01c148Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14mtl2w5arpz5qwh34aahzn90nxanlysyd7m4nqd4jnkaxcqj287st99nup op_cert: \xfd4bc06d296ecab2e2f0d5833fef8f31825b3fac6ca573e9e6508bf34add373a op_cert_counter: 12