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 8681354 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 90634369 epoch_slot_no: 173569 block_no: 8681177 slot_leader_id: 8526618 size: 41913 time: 2023-04-22 21:57:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xea9a723f658726ac61ea135e497731d4baeda06e269be0643cc005877fc3b42bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xkknefdcqjrgxjpltns9372x3wafyu4dqc6nkz50f7hyxe4ny9hsfhptzl op_cert: \x446c18848cead2a3c9e7ff1551f5619352258ba158829877e6cbc8dd56a9c057 op_cert_counter: 1