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 8659698 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 90191034 epoch_slot_no: 162234 block_no: 8659521 slot_leader_id: 8404251 size: 21988 time: 2023-04-17 18:48:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x916f7429cbf35fcdea7586bdf07cc048417db6bdeeae9a8af64682a196a3bc7fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wn4cq98ah5j9jkty47538y0pc3phy9jjvqtkkdgkuup5qgnddsgqyr6h8t op_cert: \x4e8bb123fe2c2220818fd3fc4b44167d2b56610916772b00eb3b422c2bbcaa8e op_cert_counter: 1