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 8685545 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 90720359 epoch_slot_no: 259559 block_no: 8685368 slot_leader_id: 8526317 size: 43327 time: 2023-04-23 21:50:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbf2fbb95637bfa40517152a6e5e7f72606d788f79008f91a7d298d26a45f214eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fkpeek2ueuph92fgtjmnfhmpm6sg6zm8q9s2ku53jh53dnqnqz8sma3md3 op_cert: \x104249701f46c218cf0eb35dc3723417b4dd015d3ffbac7b5661eccea73cbf99 op_cert_counter: 1