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 4685683 Details
Epoch: 217 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 8422999 epoch_slot_no: 42199 block_no: 4685506 slot_leader_id: 4584645 size: 406 time: 2020-09-13 09:28:10 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x17fb8a32044ed4e957149fbce354473281c42aface4394a9d51fce4b9dc8ded2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sdmwzs6hs99wchv705k088w4yg5y7xvtw57whqetz3nwqz2enr7q8h9lez op_cert: \x352421fc3e2202b86681997ba87c4db7f2835d5bd57b005148610c452b22c967 op_cert_counter: 3