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 8685486 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 90719480 epoch_slot_no: 258680 block_no: 8685309 slot_leader_id: 8399065 size: 26362 time: 2023-04-23 21:36:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4a9b9389e39314d68f976424a04443bdb2858d1f97ba55284e251020bc35a536Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jnm0znnknky4qszqjug9xpgfuhsg8lwskf4yzhm0aka97kqysaqs60tmgp op_cert: \x4f18112eed7e085cdf8ef2f7f81e7972a9261a08bf2ea8f382eb753badcde8aa op_cert_counter: 3