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 8686243 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 90733970 epoch_slot_no: 273170 block_no: 8686066 slot_leader_id: 5388331 size: 10782 time: 2023-04-24 01:37:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5812f54fdb9857d169287da30fe144d442b268ceb6bd6490af2d987802b46b46Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qj2ya4zs9r8zuzlprmh7edcp3skdzd2r9gk9mfj4up52jdasl5es8ukz74 op_cert: \xfc499994e047acdf8ce4e4b9965af8d577ece5ab2aa4c6fa0e48281316a8f4b8 op_cert_counter: 7