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 4697498 Details
Epoch: 217 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 8668886 epoch_slot_no: 288086 block_no: 4697321 slot_leader_id: 4555520 size: 265 time: 2020-09-16 05:46:17 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x90979d4ec802ccb0a3596fffdf773823557424cdaea1b731f731c496d308df3aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w7d6wrmwnmv967fwczseale2mp9d8e977mfc8x0gc3um7nadj9fqvkecw6 op_cert: \x0d87b93644d6e5e813fa44722d3cf5fab0f6c48cd81a917ddc3ac3f3e60029a1 op_cert_counter: 1