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 8680636 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90619972 epoch_slot_no: 159172 block_no: 8680459 slot_leader_id: 7375455 size: 38132 time: 2023-04-22 17:57:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc9cfc3aa4f71551311c59e51fbf172582542324c93dc1ad7dda0112a7711c67dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hew0pmmv846tq54lfkypz8el08tv0tqtmu8drkhwk9hfxqetqv2st9cgyw op_cert: \xd5ca8750628896fa20fa5988536994f078ea772662742a5652a448ec8370b194 op_cert_counter: 6