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 8697872 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 90974957 epoch_slot_no: 82157 block_no: 8697695 slot_leader_id: 5040184 size: 88556 time: 2023-04-26 20:34:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9c2d1841ecc269b3b3b0a0e4ab298a45ace135af84d49f0bc0ace68dead0790fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168c2p7uhdeq7j96lhcqqekfzmftr6wm2ml089v3y06kekxl2d8rqf56d2x op_cert: \x4c56b448a8de50ed6da1b62e159a26139bd83ec69ce137100cdf598f115ed385 op_cert_counter: 17