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 8685257 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 90714504 epoch_slot_no: 253704 block_no: 8685080 slot_leader_id: 4577075 size: 39765 time: 2023-04-23 20:13:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6942e0fd89d1e74ad0427a82a8f1cf2bf90feaa6d4aa9043d26abfbb56c2f0eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g0u0sks02utexc0scc5ywlmr4jw2hw2dkgq69hhpg7drz4u38qssd0kn3w op_cert: \x6721b9c1d70ca76d5ff57622bd741941b2992ff527fd3f4da289d0f6fc056874 op_cert_counter: 27