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 8996720 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 97119375 epoch_slot_no: 178575 block_no: 8996543 slot_leader_id: 4764127 size: 85435 time: 2023-07-06 23:21:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbeff342a694d532824c29d2f8d811f3633ac188ceb5a342a68582f49cb25c7e5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gm2gudv2pztta3n5fq4uf2t98fhwc06tq8guz89l9t9a9xyuplzszgq6vw op_cert: \x6ea221ca0a6edae78a5ab388a2b52a767b3969522d4dd5f39d6e4a458c844690 op_cert_counter: 13