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 8996845 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 97121827 epoch_slot_no: 181027 block_no: 8996668 slot_leader_id: 5386451 size: 32737 time: 2023-07-07 00:01:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa365e15cc6ea7a3cf1df0da788f962a20e90a340c96a21afbfd1069844eea73aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj580fj2xsw0pgvcsxz7x30hgladhhnvmv0a6j5cc2xkh2zc4esvq44ev op_cert: \x328662ae87a9a5d0df8d127d88bd9a5195e2e04d0c0f82124b11babec7089b41 op_cert_counter: 10