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 8683498 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 90678667 epoch_slot_no: 217867 block_no: 8683321 slot_leader_id: 5264753 size: 52880 time: 2023-04-23 10:15:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3f3d057319d1f00d3b31de9b316428dafc03e07af9254d8361ee5e8e00f5a6ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xzehcwa0uaeks58tdjw925x5wk5w76hf6nj659whyhh8j07302eqarh9g3 op_cert: \x03da97cf50c07a9134727e29831003ed438e1890369fdf2076df9304fe09f5c5 op_cert_counter: 12