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 8685514 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 90719962 epoch_slot_no: 259162 block_no: 8685337 slot_leader_id: 4559709 size: 78084 time: 2023-04-23 21:44:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4a5c8cdc0ca06b0c7bf1b7d7e064f7b572b2156fd8fb539ae2bc9a82c573f91fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rrf0qyyv45pu7talhcdfzk4hc0273k54504vdralnu9tyul4xspqk7d35p op_cert: \x025906657c217c6492989bb921389b4cd175f6a004b9c80154bf0d14c06864d6 op_cert_counter: 12