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 8685417 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 90717981 epoch_slot_no: 257181 block_no: 8685240 slot_leader_id: 4860249 size: 67360 time: 2023-04-23 21:11:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4c5a08f39972a8b5cac420a030596e0a479b4e16dd97f1a690c37475db5c25dcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1azdch753zl28sn8r5c0c5mjmuye6mre6q2fm33vz7fdmqu39h9mq2y5kpj op_cert: \x6d845e6dc5801a1fdedd9c7ec283fd665dde77dec913353aa04b6fd6fcfcc429 op_cert_counter: 10