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 8678738 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 90580588 epoch_slot_no: 119788 block_no: 8678561 slot_leader_id: 4559948 size: 49283 time: 2023-04-22 07:01:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x16bf837b4f3492412ef0efb06f4552956c08cdfbd25eac93d35bf5719da0fa91Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17f6d6lhqs57df92c2ju3ymqmq5uqaxk7drxxr96mj4cz6s37300q9y3av8 op_cert: \x4e05ef252feae9999b42f99b515c0e3ec786ac9347ebb40928697b2d73be4376 op_cert_counter: 14