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 8697376 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 90964880 epoch_slot_no: 72080 block_no: 8697199 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 12553 time: 2023-04-26 17:46:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x061a57aa70cda11757f6718130b73ef20955e806d5030fdb78a436adb827d8ecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \x62c5d19228982a3440fc74b7dea9d4fb923b5d8910ed94d557403939cc510ef1 op_cert_counter: 14