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 8998776 Details
Epoch: 422 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 97161685 epoch_slot_no: 220885 block_no: 8998599 slot_leader_id: 7581727 size: 18129 time: 2023-07-07 11:06:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe56e59b8e7613b7fded5bc667f15fa6fba6fc093f4cf25133a08a7d5c666941fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18stcjdcu588hsmyhcpjq98vqwmw9ry3gamvyldv6rdwv75gfxflq82dh27 op_cert: \x177f7fd0015070cd5d873ccffc16cf21652f5a9c47fe6d73964d20af45cc55b4 op_cert_counter: 4