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 8696321 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 38 slot_no: 90943472 epoch_slot_no: 50672 block_no: 8696144 slot_leader_id: 8359220 size: 79006 time: 2023-04-26 11:49:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x323d13e486ca81c5b9e1e15c78fda13679d1492df293887942e8f5355d5eae1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fyxuedj9jduqp5hdw7ehwx58vk76m5lz5fd73juvwnyl82lkht8qvlp649 op_cert: \x54a21b10239e6962e58e690fa9423cb47b543c6e3da8fb73ece64558c613155e op_cert_counter: 1