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 8685231 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 90713766 epoch_slot_no: 252966 block_no: 8685054 slot_leader_id: 4998911 size: 24510 time: 2023-04-23 20:00:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd15df6c1b5d71ad16585c45d32cf7a370f1c083c0c55bf189dc9dbb1f585f61Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cqvnc6lc46cgcktxe6g2uvah6dkape4lqznvhkkrg6y70d6srauscr23fk op_cert: \x9766468e87428270b72c848db73301ab8814b8f00578c4050a5791a86419f0ec op_cert_counter: 13