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 8686618 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 90741736 epoch_slot_no: 280936 block_no: 8686441 slot_leader_id: 4961402 size: 30603 time: 2023-04-24 03:47:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfcb0dfff8543e258ce162a167456345dabcc7b67e5236aba4c1c4d72a808160aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f063au5fjd35833vp3zgs67y3xp2e9tjwkaz6dsx2z5u0pskc4fq7hc96n op_cert: \x7d1f9c31887e1dc84a8005b4ebce9a30818714c2364f8333539cbfcb37b43a62 op_cert_counter: 12