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 8697493 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 90967290 epoch_slot_no: 74490 block_no: 8697316 slot_leader_id: 4595854 size: 86418 time: 2023-04-26 18:26:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5ef9c250d51df77e4c3ef238b3f6002238ac4fed615710e777614dfca74dfc96Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n4ml366004vvzm25cutqk0x2jpftcxtf29kdmazvgzueal5wztyslf05tq op_cert: \xfa1696be28e46817d2d68e88a86a0a8f288a4904c801836b93f8eb9d714aab8c op_cert_counter: 13