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 8997073 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 97126840 epoch_slot_no: 186040 block_no: 8996896 slot_leader_id: 5744703 size: 61639 time: 2023-07-07 01:25:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca62ca4b6712003f4ea9ab3738f4fd675dc82dadce8dbdfee04fc797ef6d79dbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vae3ps6sd2ahg59psg4yedjs7c4hf79v6zyfnm0fk6geldal5l9qjhc3vn op_cert: \x2adecb861b1af4fb3ddb2b6628a17af57ba2fc9dd6b195c742b042805f635aae op_cert_counter: 10