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 8996601 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 97116998 epoch_slot_no: 176198 block_no: 8996424 slot_leader_id: 4560858 size: 84048 time: 2023-07-06 22:41:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e72e27a1864d30afa95cbd59bbf142f20ca6a5cfca623cacdb1e7a6304b6d61Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mrwwxpf2pdsu4es46gu7rjy82fntc0538p8a7vuhrmu2ddxn68kqstj6y3 op_cert: \xa2ffb1bdf3d759a9d61555799ec0d0fd704f3c6f916742f515d23d04937ff100 op_cert_counter: 12