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 8686307 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 90735012 epoch_slot_no: 274212 block_no: 8686130 slot_leader_id: 4575007 size: 4761 time: 2023-04-24 01:55:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1ad1738e479e6f79e3a07ebb887920b6219f90482c9992be0482041051e5f9bbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h098h6ypq7lrts9ms69pxx4t4a4h5uqshe7avn8s0f8frncz67fsx4xr2g op_cert: \xd6e8cdfaea6fe035f873dde19d4dfc7ecffe76aff8d17cd2ed0a6911e5b1a5e0 op_cert_counter: 12