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 4696685 Details
Epoch: 217 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 8652171 epoch_slot_no: 271371 block_no: 4696508 slot_leader_id: 4490693 size: 1467 time: 2020-09-16 01:07:42 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf4d04d7bb00d24edcac94e868917faaf62e89f1cd307f60ecc22350e0dd0f49aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ytuuajlv7wvxj57qr6j5ycx69l54ks5nzswqwyn4fhhec6dtdjgsqmzku7 op_cert: \x7e18c6d6b5c9679f6ba6e379f926fa812b28b75955166fef78897b7b5356627e op_cert_counter: 0