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 8688734 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90785622 epoch_slot_no: 324822 block_no: 8688557 slot_leader_id: 5129168 size: 80933 time: 2023-04-24 15:58:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd40322f1fd4a25e6ed9a1a4165886c1bc5bb38ede0a52fd36601d332cc5bf02fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14mtl2w5arpz5qwh34aahzn90nxanlysyd7m4nqd4jnkaxcqj287st99nup op_cert: \x4dd554b1be5c581d12901ad0f980263ade5aaff48a0147a1037621e1031bae37 op_cert_counter: 11