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 4697371 Details
Epoch: 217 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 8666036 epoch_slot_no: 285236 block_no: 4697194 slot_leader_id: 4556967 size: 594 time: 2020-09-16 04:58:47 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc742129635dd66b1505d73f0dc852c4849c0e19db01a6cf6f6d610302a3216f4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zl24stsp8f342czuqmq44ve7sxylw728d0qefh3np53xmllqtazsevklre op_cert: \xac0d0f422a5c21e4ac5793c43dadc3530952ed0f3bcba3cafd6b0b78954af899 op_cert_counter: 0