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 8697290 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 90963114 epoch_slot_no: 70314 block_no: 8697113 slot_leader_id: 5030962 size: 87058 time: 2023-04-26 17:16:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe3e7fbdc96a3be15f196ed5f98907eec905b25fe0b019041cfc9cb4a6d14cdeeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yu426l0g25r4zexgg244jpjjrhy5lat0rqk6cuknyyzkvylaaqksvmuz0e op_cert: \x68a2f2c17b9450aa7d54bb93dd2f0f4777ac40632fc6bbbde4f71a7cc47af9d7 op_cert_counter: 12