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 8686045 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 90730196 epoch_slot_no: 269396 block_no: 8685868 slot_leader_id: 4982656 size: 21898 time: 2023-04-24 00:34:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x94031d7e15943cd39735bc9caf7a343e19367544f35cf91d8ef0c3cf62df6253Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ecurxr8yy02jck3tsgkd02pr956hdt456grgjfg65pxxe8lz2vnqk4namr op_cert: \x25167c608bc417c727d4ed73254366fb7172f90bcec84873cd9fdc5e30dae271 op_cert_counter: 10