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 8998617 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 97158268 epoch_slot_no: 217468 block_no: 8998440 slot_leader_id: 4557910 size: 34116 time: 2023-07-07 10:09:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x37a5f5e8a60f9d8a80480e547ee8774c3c9727eef0637a5051f1e8d0934f995cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vclfxu5y6wekn5fhd7jy2vzvjedflq6c24uxctwn33dx7l3jcd5qffsueu op_cert: \x52c824159f3bfd2565d1441e63caa0274eb4c42be88772acd36a84fe837d5e94 op_cert_counter: 15