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 8686490 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 90738999 epoch_slot_no: 278199 block_no: 8686313 slot_leader_id: 4565000 size: 26292 time: 2023-04-24 03:01:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x726fe9f74bc7d76418ab9883b0c15a96d032fd80ffa9e5de25aef6d9ac9e948cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nf4ql83gqmx3v4l04dzwwlwf8xtcgt6nmv36d9847mmylrrzxu6scj4yh4 op_cert: \x50defcd71b79f94e7e6957cbb1b270c9533e940608507c3c7826cfd5ce6490f0 op_cert_counter: 14