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 8698716 Details
Epoch: 408 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 90991743 epoch_slot_no: 98943 block_no: 8698539 slot_leader_id: 7417958 size: 11482 time: 2023-04-27 01:13:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5875a279218a00ec46a1f4368f39bb2f1b0198ce5782db43a9fc707123c6ffc9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1swv7ywks25zc4slz28qmdxyg2rkvqrwa0u5cgrxqy2llkqfskvhssdvn6q op_cert: \xdb2ce0c4e829c5b72e5faeaf67b05498e7743c194a4a52c1e22016b9ad2f0f46 op_cert_counter: 6