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 8697898 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 90975398 epoch_slot_no: 82598 block_no: 8697721 slot_leader_id: 5023687 size: 19630 time: 2023-04-26 20:41:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1658f220994ea62c24c1ae32d78f86d1fadda7fb3b181a008fae79c2676914daBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw77p4742utx67t652qra5z2sj6mcrc23l9r9600hajl0zd29zaqxf6g3t op_cert: \x2243de3a2f32b8da055fbe7311c9dc152187f5a399b042a3dbcac31dabb4dc71 op_cert_counter: 9