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 8686578 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 90740815 epoch_slot_no: 280015 block_no: 8686401 slot_leader_id: 5722967 size: 13627 time: 2023-04-24 03:31:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2d4651c00957be94c42315aec6948a9eced922b2dfd4aeac235d8a4eb980dfb3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13jt50ukdkwer5uph8wfnrwq048n0yw0pxwwmqqqwt9jmwheld9sqwp8wj2 op_cert: \x29989be58339f7c65c52cf18de77a1987e4e94835829f0652861bebf30c87070 op_cert_counter: 12