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 7698674 Details
Epoch: 360 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 70418653 epoch_slot_no: 261853 block_no: 7698497 slot_leader_id: 4578577 size: 42810 time: 2022-08-31 22:29:04 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 2 hash: \x68a285f9080a733752b57c46f8e73c1a4d2fb69269c7e435d3bb4185123e8cbfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lknw8t34xzv42lucahfnd9jjnux8kvk00l3d06nmmg5zjy03m4gsv8r09n op_cert: \x3c809cf8193440abb3b5723de9616ae8038f446358b8f7eafc51bb1aab6469f8 op_cert_counter: 8