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 8996536 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 97115741 epoch_slot_no: 174941 block_no: 8996359 slot_leader_id: 5442898 size: 63928 time: 2023-07-06 22:20:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa073f396ec6fe5383f624d4a59ffe6172ded7e545e14b7e054b0f9b8abc063b5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18ys466yz8u65l6nr33r96pg5rjmj0gt7c5dx27hjk3g2t2vatrjq78mdga op_cert: \x04b46c39cd1f16ea550ae17b8e75467ccbc2181f60087768635569bf0cc1ce32 op_cert_counter: 18