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 8697419 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 90965857 epoch_slot_no: 73057 block_no: 8697242 slot_leader_id: 5002519 size: 64372 time: 2023-04-26 18:02:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5409128e1f47f3da5c9e5f839810ee409d86a6d21ba8a823d91fc32ca5a5fb8bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cl7drnpkkvd3ucqfh2k9pkq2s4tl3r67nq47u33lge2nt8e45c2s23y3t2 op_cert: \x0500bb0dd66475b552f07e044639769b28fc1491e3a86507264d9e1fb1dd1aa8 op_cert_counter: 12