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 8686514 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90739466 epoch_slot_no: 278666 block_no: 8686337 slot_leader_id: 5151470 size: 8074 time: 2023-04-24 03:09:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x769395d6e6da9c2403d1603a729a02c2fbf5c223c2ff532e5ec0d8fa00fec26fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xync2ctlr2uudtevq73z4khxu05txvm5ednmx87005aw22ecr29qg67r25 op_cert: \xb9b26e75c8b5d8fc9c1a20a341d12720d2bec97097c67f97901c0418ea11dbe6 op_cert_counter: 10