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 8688574 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 90782377 epoch_slot_no: 321577 block_no: 8688397 slot_leader_id: 8278394 size: 47594 time: 2023-04-24 15:04:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa986c2a830218b50171824a0ba8540e5334df2c2ccbcfca2c938c02f7df0d9aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hmerq449fpfy54yujs2uky63ech5jw9pv98jwgjzsnx2n8y60m2q9f6n2v op_cert: \x04a4b3b30cafbe8b37d1a20fb7b3c87e958377c10888f70b4c2b68e3972d6727 op_cert_counter: 2