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 8696495 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 90946768 epoch_slot_no: 53968 block_no: 8696318 slot_leader_id: 7376318 size: 26567 time: 2023-04-26 12:44:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7c57adf7efe9c91464a7c5e38e01c002d8d62ce22bd19ee5d27a066d85e7ccf7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cmequ53at5z6wfecymqfj335f03xv2ak3mh434lqdfgylg6zvsdq9zcms8 op_cert: \x7053993cf2658e7f18ca8ffeda9626fd738a84f59eb1f43009e2422258cb1a82 op_cert_counter: 1659975272