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 8688636 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 90783912 epoch_slot_no: 323112 block_no: 8688459 slot_leader_id: 4577416 size: 39742 time: 2023-04-24 15:30:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x00fad07f587202ca43faee51a06caa5ce3f399c9f75ead2f862d4c7214748db5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mfvuefhs88w7u5ue5qjm4c85ntamlhcnmvw2qdjwkpcena2pfcdsn97av0 op_cert: \x10a2abd370856ba0fb4f79c53007624e22b22c50009f359ac600e6d84088c04a op_cert_counter: 11