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 8686998 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 90749821 epoch_slot_no: 289021 block_no: 8686821 slot_leader_id: 4559083 size: 29705 time: 2023-04-24 06:01:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46e8e0aeeb132540ed5d7891e0c916a6611f5db0c881c04307e07de96b1a4901Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kkm2ddusu6fx76ag2cj44te7k5vjejqvq0hwcarfe5lkgdzt47ms4h9tp2 op_cert: \x66b2e46f8f1b2ddfdaeb87050559492e40464270d0e2bd29536cefb37fd2eab9 op_cert_counter: 14