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 8996830 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 97121509 epoch_slot_no: 180709 block_no: 8996653 slot_leader_id: 7895044 size: 79531 time: 2023-07-06 23:56:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf98ca3d0ea3e161cdbe683d376911ed56e3084e711f088953b5d2db20ada182aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zavhf95ryxte9j9fph280n36uma85ulaujz2df4f0k6ndefnurvs9rm829 op_cert: \x0aa8e441d9b5559daff9c4729bbba114aeb56b8fe791fc3031db42ba0abf7391 op_cert_counter: 3