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 8731688 Details
Epoch: 409 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 91665734 epoch_slot_no: 340934 block_no: 8731511 slot_leader_id: 8228996 size: 83268 time: 2023-05-04 20:27:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x78957c65dc9d6dc6c8b96c300d51acf55d9ec7dfc3d70f15182a37ac176fa343Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xeqf8ykm9mvygvztsuuyddgjtu950vjpjqf848q8gwgc2usm0unqfkv6p5 op_cert: \x129f753137f4a2a4a82a69c3981ce2495bfcec3a0601be428c70df874e2d5c5e op_cert_counter: 2