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 8685343 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 90716256 epoch_slot_no: 255456 block_no: 8685166 slot_leader_id: 4568891 size: 45613 time: 2023-04-23 20:42:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xefa3e0bcc276ba80a45cc4aa063fd6a798328efc4d560c9c2fd9bbf08824ef75Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cwev84mcwhyr6nwcya2ucw0hmajp3qcdvy0m5mhuxgkgxnavx5uqyczgel op_cert: \xb3b1c165cde083037468e2197381cd82604bfbb0f935919f04e8b43588f14528 op_cert_counter: 13