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 8998636 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 97158689 epoch_slot_no: 217889 block_no: 8998459 slot_leader_id: 4558133 size: 88802 time: 2023-07-07 10:16:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb873a089b20a01000c216658ab40d7f78f7e6eee0cbbd231feb1f58747d9b0d2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sq2mwyjxq4x8a8xkguduwlg2mqk37nznxyg63dx0jeq50w3c79xs06vq58 op_cert: \xda8f058be038722e40eb124e5f44f49c597d4ced881a1285f16b359f405e81cf op_cert_counter: 15