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 8686806 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 90745717 epoch_slot_no: 284917 block_no: 8686629 slot_leader_id: 4679252 size: 26374 time: 2023-04-24 04:53:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xba104bd47bc32bf04d3767d5bab5b125122f352b7ce326897b6daf38e060fe59Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u3rp29td29q0txep3j7vvnk3jhpr7rwu8kqwfa34g8ukpqhgppcs8727xq op_cert: \x759e7f1eb7edfc308fe739739ab8d9a405e6c6f233eb4228008071eb76c73b68 op_cert_counter: 14