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 8998173 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 38 slot_no: 97149123 epoch_slot_no: 208323 block_no: 8997996 slot_leader_id: 4556102 size: 87880 time: 2023-07-07 07:36:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x22b60e173cab39cca0fc55a95db3c6cc285e7b94ef587932903b6fc03bf6c4e6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w4dsu3xp2v2rqzfz22t906sea38xk29htmzfm950egxa7s65sp9symvnkx op_cert: \x264c6105d721134de5c2f369dbc276984e045617c1f6ab5c8528bd67dd6de827 op_cert_counter: 14