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 8997654 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 97139142 epoch_slot_no: 198342 block_no: 8997477 slot_leader_id: 4555824 size: 1975 time: 2023-07-07 04:50:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcf6482255474ca7dc5ee37d78db1ca47aed29db7d195ea2748a8c22772b7f45aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wfgru6h86c74e9flucrzupv9f4c4fxq9tvv54rs942vk6hlztu0qcfrpfp op_cert: \x4e8c5398f977f3af4a590b8ca446ef38e63aa788335d149a1ea2ce61094b90df op_cert_counter: 16