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 8684522 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 90698890 epoch_slot_no: 238090 block_no: 8684345 slot_leader_id: 6538171 size: 18652 time: 2023-04-23 15:53:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34f25face56ea529c491d0b588b2c77bbc9b7a7a21e70e00b3334430dbcf5d9bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18f5xg9y7dmfu8ep0cvscwtldqtjk5m8fud48de0z3kdgqdh0f2tqfyjjr9 op_cert: \xc2a521c037cdef04d1db3e3fda91dd73adacd4875029ab04f56d90747782bb70 op_cert_counter: 10