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 8996457 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 97113878 epoch_slot_no: 173078 block_no: 8996280 slot_leader_id: 4759508 size: 46820 time: 2023-07-06 21:49:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa5057ec173c25e5252a668443b729d91ef5596acf0b93ad3b1480d5e504da0bbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13q4cu47dkd3upzgetdup725wd8q5xleseuezp0qcweyjm0z0y5kq9sug0w op_cert: \xcf28de4843731ae40635ba77f1057efaca2fca546de208df4c18f232ff0c56c4 op_cert_counter: 17