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 8685413 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 90717833 epoch_slot_no: 257033 block_no: 8685236 slot_leader_id: 7148917 size: 14473 time: 2023-04-23 21:08:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x29f6e616715462db67761fb3a37230b898aa066913211a4a33299f8c6a6e91fbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hezyed2tv7cyfwy8jmk7xqtkju2z4v2w6eec5zvympjg5ctgawcs3mllj8 op_cert: \xc93e4c08513f859dc204425e4fd66e005fb26fc5f3854dc287fc06d1f3737a70 op_cert_counter: 5