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 8696873 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 90954144 epoch_slot_no: 61344 block_no: 8696696 slot_leader_id: 8484583 size: 23172 time: 2023-04-26 14:47:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae01179394cbf1ae58a94d495d1e45b9ce99f9a8db2f80eed27b597d0a63c58eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p2879jgftc5jg0z6xu93c69wjlmfvst5mtwr2lhqeprw0ez7xf0s9uph0s op_cert: \x8359bd1e0a566f47f85d898739ad5fce88b5ae2cfa6272e60ba80a798a861b14 op_cert_counter: 0