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 8996781 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 97120555 epoch_slot_no: 179755 block_no: 8996604 slot_leader_id: 4571982 size: 604 time: 2023-07-06 23:40:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66946c1270148d50028cac2eae3860555527eb2b503f21598ae41b9181fa0caeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk102gh7cnr5hnu3jmafakj33q40rk09sjnhy3w2zj2zn742kz2trpq0v5p0u op_cert: \x54540880a4d80953d6286cdaf133bb49a81be56f3c3e4e24f8e591fa113e1bf3 op_cert_counter: 28