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 8689656 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90804303 epoch_slot_no: 343503 block_no: 8689479 slot_leader_id: 8020025 size: 14202 time: 2023-04-24 21:09:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9fc74918fca0555846a3e083c7fabce2e535bea0cfc2ddc2398365b4aa8fda6eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w43euf66345mlq7xvjw0yuwf460fq2a70cwtqmt99fwvlr5nkwgsmthtp2 op_cert: \xc3921ca4fe4951c41e37ea65f255ec2908c3ff4a5d00b11b6cdaf4666e869ca0 op_cert_counter: 2