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 8998514 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 49 slot_no: 97156074 epoch_slot_no: 215274 block_no: 8998337 slot_leader_id: 4614296 size: 80498 time: 2023-07-07 09:32:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xffed8db2b7a5330cf466ea2c7c3d8efb0c3383df1ea90a1ee318b0d38156823dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hklew6wgnk07hvt68e8c63l9kzz6atf4kefpuhlqz2xf66yupjrshv88sw op_cert: \xd145f5349452c26124383e80f540fca4bf515c0ba94b0c8f533be672bfba2d8c op_cert_counter: 13