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 8685374 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 90716946 epoch_slot_no: 256146 block_no: 8685197 slot_leader_id: 5457724 size: 16483 time: 2023-04-23 20:53:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3850524e37e5bb8e7d1b8621bdd047e923d90d5f402b16e1f2e21c9432b583e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sqkmne6revf35z2we245edjuffkuz57jd6uhy0t68gxynupyw9hqzh2xcm op_cert: \x4dd2837d40a10f475ca72627e42c8823fa8cb0c8f84d3e02a6815888d43c835e op_cert_counter: 10