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 8686257 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 90734103 epoch_slot_no: 273303 block_no: 8686080 slot_leader_id: 4614591 size: 4036 time: 2023-04-24 01:39:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3d1341ccb072ddc38853dd9e566d34168f82daeca10072a2a48a16cdfd65374cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lnjfdgme34cun04rzmng683dq8u37wpu20ygrc0vz2fkun7jjmrsdaa3dx op_cert: \x728b8243d59a66c3f43eb87354ee874601e5e98e6608db42ad8c2a49f3454efb op_cert_counter: 20