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 8684705 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 28 slot_no: 90702899 epoch_slot_no: 242099 block_no: 8684528 slot_leader_id: 4555611 size: 79162 time: 2023-04-23 16:59:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8214f78ccfc60db051a43ec228b6c3f92a2e4f6c7e2d700ada507e18b2aeaaebBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g4szjxfzun99644w6xyx0855jzfnxp7ch3cz55d4uakl66xaw7hqh84zte op_cert: \x2f41ec35b8eaf61bebe394322c741a916eff6224ca880be517acc9779f054901 op_cert_counter: 14