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 8685474 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 90719199 epoch_slot_no: 258399 block_no: 8685297 slot_leader_id: 5046367 size: 13739 time: 2023-04-23 21:31:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc9cd160828108b1d4a08b283172372a588de05fd9301c9445dffd12b1cd491cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c30p4kcpcqfvc4cqfhg7az8mdvzfazx6w9gfhzu7jvpva3exuwasjxn8lj op_cert: \x363f3fcaf88b5a0f9e5d18dd8f94f2f562e254b14b91e27ff9eef42fcb09e8ae op_cert_counter: 14