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 8686729 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90743988 epoch_slot_no: 283188 block_no: 8686552 slot_leader_id: 7046900 size: 19582 time: 2023-04-24 04:24:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5094b0229abcca0a41cc505640a2adf29d68970d8237e5257737abbf54d1b01fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk197w95j9alkwt8l4g7xkccknhn4pqwx65c5saxnn5ej3cpmps72msgpw69d op_cert: \x84a49861e656959b9bfca86f5526afeb6abedaa7eabd0a33f34f593474cda684 op_cert_counter: 1659973013