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 8684602 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 90700596 epoch_slot_no: 239796 block_no: 8684425 slot_leader_id: 5965784 size: 21755 time: 2023-04-23 16:21:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x70a9319247e7fda015897a5086221e338d9942c4044fe4c458f8b2518b5fe98eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16arvf7rxl7k787s5xu0ks3letxk4qasqkclg496gdpvkf080tz8sz5k325 op_cert: \xb984b3c0dab94b83c3366ef38523f95543a2a765d70537668906c9a252bf2f48 op_cert_counter: 10