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 8668494 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 90371732 epoch_slot_no: 342932 block_no: 8668317 slot_leader_id: 4636355 size: 3548 time: 2023-04-19 21:00:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x43017f34d8c505efadeb92797ea3fd384b05da2266344ee1fe6aa408975779d3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s8t9cm805fjq7jyvl5ehdrqzqhykrv234vze03eh0s9evfnz5npqt5k68k op_cert: \x90de7484737495b53aa6fa2faeb39bc7285f5d74e114d17fa051fbd403e45d8c op_cert_counter: 10