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 8697358 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90964437 epoch_slot_no: 71637 block_no: 8697181 slot_leader_id: 4982193 size: 15741 time: 2023-04-26 17:38:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8b6f4bbaa0c8f7582e5baa48ef5d9df1301461780d1fe99d0c852173481d17d0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mnjzvlsemnhnufd47g49cwsq7cgy8z657p0wre3gm6hl4gz6zcasw457zz op_cert: \x78bd24393ac5417b9d30e19da3eee5891c3186ed28e2315fb28f8e137b7476c0 op_cert_counter: 14