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 4698173 Details
Epoch: 217 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 8682873 epoch_slot_no: 302073 block_no: 4697996 slot_leader_id: 4556540 size: 1311 time: 2020-09-16 09:39:24 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e83d940f32c736afe956b356ce60b043573864bdd7877c6e3315d35720ecee1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1e7wz3przj50tcty4wc4emqfe5wqfajzp5e4uvgm8ytrch27zrfts8xnhcj op_cert: \x010c3f6e4737f425b6463083f3aef75c7a47d04da3e9246421de0aefcd854b3b op_cert_counter: 0