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 8997721 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 97140476 epoch_slot_no: 199676 block_no: 8997544 slot_leader_id: 5051184 size: 57161 time: 2023-07-07 05:12:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa750a2623091f550e54eeb42a87e9ccbd48143494f7945897e89f594088dfd53Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c0ra4syyv3px2nk45sayf2y99k2mu734tt6ldq22fn0u0sku02yqcp0ge4 op_cert: \x14671477081789901e3bb4c96f0ff3296dcfc32a150a1dfce99582bac9e7e46c op_cert_counter: 13