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 8697034 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90957228 epoch_slot_no: 64428 block_no: 8696857 slot_leader_id: 4589362 size: 57302 time: 2023-04-26 15:38:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd496a7d0bd7fa6d49493ab0abe20701983138383dbbb1b368962c995f42f3536Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14vcr7r0n6z8tzxvk8xuqagmngcyqg80vdp8m477awcjxfdc0fgysvl93s3 op_cert: \xaebc103bbefd6914a6a02c2f382c3755427d1351bfa00caea4a119cba7783944 op_cert_counter: 20