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 8688608 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90783272 epoch_slot_no: 322472 block_no: 8688431 slot_leader_id: 5576681 size: 21241 time: 2023-04-24 15:19:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x205e3f37f96ec431f0c0d18a668aa29caec27860e8a773a0784b0ffef424cc15Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16q36mxrpcchvlsytfg0qpwemy20vw0ww3cmp0q6znchpe5g3ex6sarx3ju op_cert: \x7a4853c3922f6a500db9329850d7b3232b3be3abc3aaa4770b5b0f6142adae1c op_cert_counter: 10