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 8996514 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 97115294 epoch_slot_no: 174494 block_no: 8996337 slot_leader_id: 5609069 size: 88748 time: 2023-07-06 22:13:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3b2dc20c318cc1873c2cbc32b67412dca91a12e37476fa18d82262343cc08bdbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1umc4uaql3pps827tkzzwdzgrug0482utuya77f2xvn6497xye8uqflwjxz op_cert: \xf7ebc48b3838d93999273e7b54222ec919870c3116bc1b1c82a959ad51b73bf9 op_cert_counter: 10