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 8998344 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 97152598 epoch_slot_no: 211798 block_no: 8998167 slot_leader_id: 6721578 size: 32919 time: 2023-07-07 08:34:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x51d61c49230736525d3bd54c5b85613c09460ea064647d62d49ed0f28208e63bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1e9pvcugzux0yxw3eh0kt868q5tq74ndknrq68lj3fmpt7ndfm2jqesmly7 op_cert: \xfcaabc5a8320b063d431373b5296ad23e8d771029e93a98f908477f5465e9307 op_cert_counter: 14