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 8686008 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 90729359 epoch_slot_no: 268559 block_no: 8685831 slot_leader_id: 4572916 size: 18720 time: 2023-04-24 00:20:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa5aaf7c9d4d09f76fa37fafc260c91fbf2e75a2f647506b31e1fee592718c7e9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sh946l2qfxu5q8xu7sw3xmp07d4ph764frje3qm0p2wy6pu08u2qxwxfqw op_cert: \x1f7628def8507c978bcb3adeb60376080c7611e942389d5475eceee3227a5be0 op_cert_counter: 22