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 8686503 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 90739235 epoch_slot_no: 278435 block_no: 8686326 slot_leader_id: 4556049 size: 79393 time: 2023-04-24 03:05:26 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x283da36c27e6991c0bdf96399b1b98b7b6051ff36f586fae4940448d298b656dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1md23rugrrnl66ja45503p6vdmzvwqlflc8yhva877gxtln9sekgsx2ehap op_cert: \xcc3fe234ee08824f743d7f804b011046fe1f53b2607a0a132c0245e67bd9eef1 op_cert_counter: 12