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 8686385 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 90736630 epoch_slot_no: 275830 block_no: 8686208 slot_leader_id: 7046900 size: 42262 time: 2023-04-24 02:22:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1ce2a6a1c9196e524f245e4278aaf3ab73fb801770a2b0f281c22445d3efa16fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk197w95j9alkwt8l4g7xkccknhn4pqwx65c5saxnn5ej3cpmps72msgpw69d op_cert: \x84a49861e656959b9bfca86f5526afeb6abedaa7eabd0a33f34f593474cda684 op_cert_counter: 1659973013