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 8689686 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 72 slot_no: 90804821 epoch_slot_no: 344021 block_no: 8689509 slot_leader_id: 5936161 size: 24580 time: 2023-04-24 21:18:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9d0b90cef9b5ad50fca93d211d1b582d525c99b428a145496fadb35f7dcade2dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ymsc2lncnq8xsz6xa9r7y6mwv72dxl0ar4k0faj9h5e6crjl856swmlk6z op_cert: \xfc8172c4a66e5d281eeb1b7e254cb2425c7aad0c8d56e67f79a4001e61341e4c op_cert_counter: 8