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 8683621 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 28 slot_no: 90681028 epoch_slot_no: 220228 block_no: 8683444 slot_leader_id: 5065959 size: 40793 time: 2023-04-23 10:55:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa4c0ee730a4d39d40c6b1f831a9dd9ba68c1e27841f64192127e5f9e07c7788eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d9qrmed96sxkttr88uhg8u9dxa79rwhrppy75ea588r9c6t29q7q2zyu74 op_cert: \x5650dc39173ef468019a578f7861dfb09b6f0d477a806dd6722f76733eea406d op_cert_counter: 21