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 8697256 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 90962488 epoch_slot_no: 69688 block_no: 8697079 slot_leader_id: 5215989 size: 16431 time: 2023-04-26 17:06:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfdff6bb209eb76e9ce0f0f3b8cd7f1111198923068251bac0168f4a6f700869bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rds2yl04ee8unwce4uty8q2k2g25ehalvzwhzlvkj0q8u72swxnss69530 op_cert: \x1f8f94ec717437c30f2259d0956a1c2fa40ca03003c07a3276f828c59e903eaf op_cert_counter: 10