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 8684834 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 90705437 epoch_slot_no: 244637 block_no: 8684657 slot_leader_id: 7520362 size: 33117 time: 2023-04-23 17:42:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb4a82aa8e1666e9ece0de0bd71ecf892128e0347771448db31f423cc29a6db28Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d5d5e20nuyy6cqdm49mgvly9u589y80ku3rppfl0vvt8rp9d7sastkmegz op_cert: \xb698784d0462586bdce17108c9112a01b0de4e092d9d66c2ed947b076cfc047f op_cert_counter: 3