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 8997676 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 97139577 epoch_slot_no: 198777 block_no: 8997499 slot_leader_id: 4564259 size: 57996 time: 2023-07-07 04:57:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbdd9625e94a23f0ca3a3f9acc15c4151c96040b0c08e35cccf685f4d6d204eb3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gdvfyt2slq5gjh8qw6u83t693uh5u8au6cgyjzk5p8v5tmp7qzpqztxpq6 op_cert: \x1e3c5dd982af1f838763f5e734709851731232fb33d6699bb9fd9dff04ce02f1 op_cert_counter: 13