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 8685499 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 90719679 epoch_slot_no: 258879 block_no: 8685322 slot_leader_id: 5195649 size: 56091 time: 2023-04-23 21:39:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb69bb45817248380758b15c89fadec782b9b355f17cfe0b444d213a1d10a58e1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14dmpfvlym0pvvpakv43why08xt0m8du35xudle0kuen7tj7wusss890hw3 op_cert: \x45033445454183fa6303bde4c3d2d090bc9425c2a97100ba138298c3f60c48cd op_cert_counter: 9