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 8997321 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 97132465 epoch_slot_no: 191665 block_no: 8997144 slot_leader_id: 4555429 size: 83743 time: 2023-07-07 02:59:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaefdb5455f2ea42b07a6d12fd72c3eceaa83c95f39badadc9df2470e8d054fb3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1asqe28esdppqc6u8sszf07x3t9wvve6g8qf3x89a0f2cvj0hqk5shnlgmz op_cert: \xf1884538e787fd0265f38e1f031ad5c25d04e9c4cbf84130291f1329a0a86677 op_cert_counter: 12