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 8998682 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 97159522 epoch_slot_no: 218722 block_no: 8998505 slot_leader_id: 4555957 size: 4805 time: 2023-07-07 10:30:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2a9969d3443cbee8ce3d70e9831e0f78b0e822f75f4989de1dcd5b2e4ed3e35eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19gst8x5h2ypvr84p69za7ys90x39jh8x66t82dpykylwe6c40l0s5ks6l5 op_cert: \xee38597766060be109c4cb0eb9d07190d6f16ea182b9137450e2e387da1f1a59 op_cert_counter: 16