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 8685457 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 90718888 epoch_slot_no: 258088 block_no: 8685280 slot_leader_id: 4555957 size: 51195 time: 2023-04-23 21:26:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46622b90d48ba0b291f1a313d7ee493e7f1b5464b81c538c2b7244c042e1f8b1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19gst8x5h2ypvr84p69za7ys90x39jh8x66t82dpykylwe6c40l0s5ks6l5 op_cert: \xbd2c19fa173b0356d73c7f989b609f514181e27d60241d28721003a3c6221c9a op_cert_counter: 15