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 8996736 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 97119734 epoch_slot_no: 178934 block_no: 8996559 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 85590 time: 2023-07-06 23:27:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa58f25d851099aceebab01f571e5afc5f7ce7be8f426bb60f76ba2256fb99e6bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \x652f4b99a101f39d54ef34c546759eae65477c4436250e2fa85fb591b71e456e op_cert_counter: 16