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 8698674 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 90990957 epoch_slot_no: 98157 block_no: 8698497 slot_leader_id: 5201270 size: 21667 time: 2023-04-27 01:00:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0b87a9dfeb8db2926135abf7202298b2a8d5e8b46208c293b8c24f3c1495c8f0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f7267kg8trm8janhkmra9yt955dmjjgrypwqd0uxquyuz56tjfpsvqgyym op_cert: \xd910ee424c9600b6bee3ee39214618e4d9f22eae5b2506319b65b0ca00c0e606 op_cert_counter: 10