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 8996617 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 97117412 epoch_slot_no: 176612 block_no: 8996440 slot_leader_id: 4567618 size: 80848 time: 2023-07-06 22:48:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x18a85845eec767110f0f018352618f891a7478e27601f9edb252354a0de84606Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16jyndrw736k8g9xmq7yumxp43fpv2g7h96vghzd982zs26keymwquf2vf9 op_cert: \x1508b0912e8fc2337503e573e9cdf783beb4da0c57b9ad92ab49c4ee84264a26 op_cert_counter: 12