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 8696597 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90948730 epoch_slot_no: 55930 block_no: 8696420 slot_leader_id: 4603498 size: 48949 time: 2023-04-26 13:17:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x089c8035b2048d7df43bd510b17a626758bcce753d07c6eec912efd33326670dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xhglu3w6vmzh28yr5g9dzkrs58k0uakd9jg8eet4ajn6fxy23dkqd8ez5e op_cert: \x6caeeda54747582f43625db40d2b13b87fa9f7fc366c11ab5ac5927f22318e0e op_cert_counter: 12