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 8684314 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 90694845 epoch_slot_no: 234045 block_no: 8684137 slot_leader_id: 6765764 size: 13772 time: 2023-04-23 14:45:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x61052c5a3ef35f9d59ee8aeafed248740a9336fce9069727d0d12f47a24eb2a2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k9ac4y7rs3aeth92ajej7jlwnheqyxklrpdm86gvj75k7gq0y57ssewmje op_cert: \x84e2f542b1e8175e6ede3fb558328e1845e60c753fced10365388fc19c28c3af op_cert_counter: 7