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 8685059 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 90710244 epoch_slot_no: 249444 block_no: 8684882 slot_leader_id: 4630078 size: 22480 time: 2023-04-23 19:02:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9d8808f9a3b6315b9d8114ac4274e810308b9a3436cee3efa24820a1e8c3c22eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk177scr85eeu7ma3uzx5d69pglcsqjcjaxrkwl228rd75phaxgetyqls072n op_cert: \x922aa01b16312ce22b9594960749b5e1529cca5e6c3aa732b954b919c7dbe0c3 op_cert_counter: 13