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 8685058 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 90710225 epoch_slot_no: 249425 block_no: 8684881 slot_leader_id: 5839077 size: 5049 time: 2023-04-23 19:01:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6c7f66a6f317dedb7be693169fa89343f0fbe966b3e2174a2eff00ebf3c2548eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ucr392yrn2vuj7vhkjz29zqx66kzdcwpx50nvuu2m625lu6m4drqjhxlp0 op_cert: \xf7223de0e541c73a5d12fb8e24d62d9c082839558b0f1741c1d979014aa4e247 op_cert_counter: 15