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 8996498 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 97114877 epoch_slot_no: 174077 block_no: 8996321 slot_leader_id: 5388226 size: 79732 time: 2023-07-06 22:06:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x41e0f8363e4cac48e30b9a5aa05133723b1fa0bf8dc0374fdf365add3bad3095Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18jx2mmnjkx363nxnstnle3q6t48q3v0jkgfduxcvg77smy56q5qqhdg75g op_cert: \x4fe9b0129cd3ab011ad7795787d57b9c448d660328d5896025f6f9a4dad49f49 op_cert_counter: 10