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 8686731 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90744049 epoch_slot_no: 283249 block_no: 8686554 slot_leader_id: 7005759 size: 66779 time: 2023-04-24 04:25:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x838fdc089c203fef694e4839f0569bdc45a5e8541303e76f606e65936516692aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t0syd45jwwwrfw6jpmc9668nqxmm4lq4wmjcfyqp2ljkr4z8yacq60w88g op_cert: \x018f9af6ebca5920f4efc71aa85af9b248b9ebf7a76a09d81bff41b3f3fdb435 op_cert_counter: 5