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 8686971 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 90749158 epoch_slot_no: 288358 block_no: 8686794 slot_leader_id: 5114286 size: 10928 time: 2023-04-24 05:50:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x725b0b1a15a0f4c7e88937ed00becbdb263732e87fce4ac7b93e381db626a82aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15mraalry4lpekm27mzld8za8lw6dvufxq97w8c8sjkuvekkkg6hqsng65e op_cert: \xb5baf392dc236180e8f6c250b092836d2193c05ce4e979122c9c58dd019efde6 op_cert_counter: 12