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 8688450 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 90779724 epoch_slot_no: 318924 block_no: 8688273 slot_leader_id: 4572916 size: 80660 time: 2023-04-24 14:20:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x97c735bf71b9cafee4f0b84952a57fcfc0f32f74687be6e9040a0509168cfe3eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sh946l2qfxu5q8xu7sw3xmp07d4ph764frje3qm0p2wy6pu08u2qxwxfqw op_cert: \x1f7628def8507c978bcb3adeb60376080c7611e942389d5475eceee3227a5be0 op_cert_counter: 22