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 8688514 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90781073 epoch_slot_no: 320273 block_no: 8688337 slot_leader_id: 4837352 size: 23326 time: 2023-04-24 14:42:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7cbde7b045d316c8345e57b3b5de5b5427c0998027f43ed0fd1127e854cb1c1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zym4yqetzqmt67453drnq2nj80mj8zauprne3atdrwu6ypt8ny5sf5pk3n op_cert: \xef37b639f718a0d5d8a8a9d605ad8c116f685157a52346aa8e1ed60f100d136c op_cert_counter: 14