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 8688512 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90781030 epoch_slot_no: 320230 block_no: 8688335 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 8007 time: 2023-04-24 14:42:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd6e5bc441acfaaf1a938c1638ce853649283f487729f68f81d609c62dd95a70eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \xefc4a646fc90381644f40c9aa1bc101382476229b986a3d693ed5a18fcd80905 op_cert_counter: 12