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 8663686 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 90273546 epoch_slot_no: 244746 block_no: 8663509 slot_leader_id: 5262262 size: 13936 time: 2023-04-18 17:43:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe09b1b9a77818a7b68565672a786173d2fcbb8a02922cadd89906f73a0901af2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15ftx5gldqydsqt8cwpkjdphnf542j5lcyt8qm7s3cslx8k9au6msa8jdnc op_cert: \x17a1bf27477c9c4be70ad6a898ddb3279b8fa33768eb28f8271264162bc7aa86 op_cert_counter: 10