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 8997662 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 97139322 epoch_slot_no: 198522 block_no: 8997485 slot_leader_id: 4568578 size: 46248 time: 2023-07-07 04:53:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x32acc1e76498c813ba7864737a29b5c9129a906f5150f8ced1f67dc4ebabf74fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1eu03uqm2tz5t9r5lq36skujppyhnshj0a3exf87wz979tqjvtv4qs2dfj8 op_cert: \x40508944aab6f79334bdfa6b513d0aa4c7a82100495516473df4e612308bc574 op_cert_counter: 18