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 8996424 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 97113439 epoch_slot_no: 172639 block_no: 8996247 slot_leader_id: 4609504 size: 83968 time: 2023-07-06 21:42:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9be87ca893d281f15aa286a754e2b1476fd62231d3baad7c6a08f4f5236ad5c1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1973re7lsj6va8q8ly4tpedu9hr9mc28wehfwvhqszd3u48kndatszu3d8w op_cert: \x779b982d1292b72698c1ed5ef087fd744e06169361e20e340b949cae119a91be op_cert_counter: 13