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 8696359 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90944154 epoch_slot_no: 51354 block_no: 8696182 slot_leader_id: 4583203 size: 11174 time: 2023-04-26 12:00:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9c7e00d138b4b0b01b51ebcb19dcd479dfdfa5aa7678cd31720eee83ae1a3618Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yu4mjf8q5nqdzzpu5whjc0u5eesxdct685sk6gyxuzztfgpzy44skl3035 op_cert: \xf53f48f0290179855e2f60f86db89298d56085d28aa233a1273e4912151f72ee op_cert_counter: 14