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 8697217 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 90961462 epoch_slot_no: 68662 block_no: 8697040 slot_leader_id: 4578914 size: 81825 time: 2023-04-26 16:49:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x497abb6560a05610c453eb6761e38cb1ce3ac2aabc747a309cc86b1fcb57fa5bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk103gta0pa007l4ffhw96jm6v5hpzyadxz72882ec6jpxz0eg8et2qkcqvkp op_cert: \xd28131b5a7da92702df60d26892c486e03721a148c17aec9bc95a178f716757f op_cert_counter: 13