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 8686604 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 90741437 epoch_slot_no: 280637 block_no: 8686427 slot_leader_id: 4555499 size: 23344 time: 2023-04-24 03:42:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf7e63f3a3e6dbbc1ef4058b24a9ad53348da9a89f9e093dfa795e3e3dc803616Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17ltssr2yxf2j6ktqkhd3sgxedjna205ce9qp5djyvfa639hhux4qj73fzv op_cert: \xdb0a960b0b6b024f3d707e2db13ef80c131b028df163d85c27f01481b225856a op_cert_counter: 17