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 8685504 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 90719771 epoch_slot_no: 258971 block_no: 8685327 slot_leader_id: 8024933 size: 7979 time: 2023-04-23 21:41:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf4ff229452abe02bf6c2ba3dc9b7c720cf5ef0c353e3bb6f3da52c3f41a6b9b1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12gqclqg6qgx00t4c2rskhgyj0kpdfgl3zcqpk08h0fykapqsw2xqptx9qs op_cert: \x56e021eff22ed69bbd5707f65d1b68df59c09d4e8227d70f1d51550216fa3204 op_cert_counter: 6