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 8697472 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 90966933 epoch_slot_no: 74133 block_no: 8697295 slot_leader_id: 5638558 size: 15299 time: 2023-04-26 18:20:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xab2f614d771c52ae8c0662f473235ff707025998c17c7ed899bb454fcd484b1cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fdpzyavn2r3sdmt5m75vw45txnw2swa3t9jtvzt3gh0nxrlhycrq0xfsuu op_cert: \x7fcc29e16e6ea49b9c293f5513e4acceea13a42d3743b8383c24a7b4d8234c91 op_cert_counter: 13