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 8997603 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 97138039 epoch_slot_no: 197239 block_no: 8997426 slot_leader_id: 8526618 size: 59464 time: 2023-07-07 04:32:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf96cb8e97e05ac32ea5d3bdc44b3bad7607c84d751cb739554b1260a0635993eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xkknefdcqjrgxjpltns9372x3wafyu4dqc6nkz50f7hyxe4ny9hsfhptzl op_cert: \x5413a53978e7d86bf2fc71418a3db62af774785ec97770bb0cce96df1a01012f op_cert_counter: 2