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 8996651 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 97117984 epoch_slot_no: 177184 block_no: 8996474 slot_leader_id: 5066592 size: 88562 time: 2023-07-06 22:57:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5fa22008fee1d456323c6e05806de852b8e3e6afa4cd4158230960841a502c9aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mj2pevrpv5wrjjxgunrtd7rwws23kt83c372skeyupwxad5u372qg0x4tf op_cert: \x7d5682a02d616b33e050670c5dfc40c9d369433d01131e6a627678ff3a1af0e6 op_cert_counter: 13