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 8685399 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 90717477 epoch_slot_no: 256677 block_no: 8685222 slot_leader_id: 6618191 size: 36051 time: 2023-04-23 21:02:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdce99011e14812305c939a03fd181c9565e98ec584a683ecaea87aa3c282f39eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kkmpqpgn4m92dqeusyvdvydl6wy8mthe59svsdctntq44kpuyglsfnu4wh op_cert: \x3344cedb23f6af28700364744558e302b637344c2559424e90c662b8a695f140 op_cert_counter: 7