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 8688697 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90784975 epoch_slot_no: 324175 block_no: 8688520 slot_leader_id: 8484836 size: 81076 time: 2023-04-24 15:47:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc53c82396d9afaf67ae4ddfc9536a353f69729eef434034ad6879e5f7405ac5cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fg58zges00zkj26lphma2h3g4sy2dsuefy3u6euywz69q9aaj5vqz97jx8 op_cert: \x56efac3b165f1539da5572fa98e0019cbca3ec45a0a2f810616bcad285478996 op_cert_counter: 0