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 8998717 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 97160464 epoch_slot_no: 219664 block_no: 8998540 slot_leader_id: 5359678 size: 64564 time: 2023-07-07 10:45:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf16ac27840bdaf685d2d377ee6336ef3a9142f4192d6cba21f21e50bb81b2d59Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16gqxtw9rx2tsx3elm8rlet6fxjkxzzusxlqjdn07ly5npzwegucqr45mgt op_cert: \xed1ea0bef1ed985c43006f0f7afe7c4d5ef191c3d1e3b8604e6fceb58b4747c9 op_cert_counter: 9