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 8685543 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90720293 epoch_slot_no: 259493 block_no: 8685366 slot_leader_id: 5616274 size: 5664 time: 2023-04-23 21:49:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xebf633cc30efd045206a818a963bf295c25a1e695429c12f3a1fd0d553aa00a2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168s0emlvm9w990s4v32ctxyz3mz4286hnpc49cz4he309e8nxwkq2ug0yq op_cert: \x2a553631cd14d3b0da1cf1f7d476a4ba02c003bf7b237878082312140c7a33bc op_cert_counter: 6