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 8998681 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 97159517 epoch_slot_no: 218717 block_no: 8998504 slot_leader_id: 4556762 size: 9321 time: 2023-07-07 10:30:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x96812e68db67f314264d6f334d10ac9fe39d53064fc0cf691657d9e1c54d4dd4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1e6htw3vtc0mk0kcynlv783jahpwjgvvhl7hgwy3nje79n0k5sqzscy5045 op_cert: \xe0356643b9d0e256c19a7c8a7cfe6c5c731ee4c9739985df26f824ce1cb8b9d0 op_cert_counter: 17