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 8998641 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 97158790 epoch_slot_no: 217990 block_no: 8998464 slot_leader_id: 4576734 size: 41162 time: 2023-07-07 10:18:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x20230eb265efcc0571773b9d5e53f5e23a716853b9780c223b8d0dcafebbd0d8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fn3agt7xmk39nath728znyshgtjkwzqmddawqvtffzaz7wxv07yqtr3usw op_cert: \xf4d75ea2da355425ea06f54d03955891640fe45dc6ee521c161b3289b7aa2121 op_cert_counter: 17