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 8685614 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 90721681 epoch_slot_no: 260881 block_no: 8685437 slot_leader_id: 4664160 size: 21107 time: 2023-04-23 22:12:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9078fd84c57ab3af9cc606e6d4a4bd782dab88dfddfb57c7104ddd3e0408df11Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h5hzr32l3ugjehsp77wren7akaf4knh4h2s43cq870udtcnmpl8qqt86fc op_cert: \xe1b42f94e55c66283def17d44081162e2f30205303e874bc99f8fe484b727e22 op_cert_counter: 11