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 8728674 Details
Epoch: 409 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 91604784 epoch_slot_no: 279984 block_no: 8728497 slot_leader_id: 4581588 size: 81039 time: 2023-05-04 03:31:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4677a2d4d8d75a1923c5c9eba6a10d5d9331d6ed72effe21f631edae80724c9aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m5tnjq3exhpu8mfcy6rl5xe5jedd8adzx6n5syju3vj8p5yhfels900hls op_cert: \x54a2c60ff6d48ad1a2ec281feb03ccc838cd543028b508076386c5f585520eb8 op_cert_counter: 12