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 8686678 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 90743181 epoch_slot_no: 282381 block_no: 8686501 slot_leader_id: 7895044 size: 46726 time: 2023-04-24 04:11:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x71f0548715a7b45c52b075aed0a9aac9704e0dd4b936c5573d12a7620019cee6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zavhf95ryxte9j9fph280n36uma85ulaujz2df4f0k6ndefnurvs9rm829 op_cert: \xa545b468be13c895739b174aa13fc36a13641943f4695d8197e05e99cb7c6977 op_cert_counter: 2