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 8685658 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90722546 epoch_slot_no: 261746 block_no: 8685481 slot_leader_id: 5770141 size: 20186 time: 2023-04-23 22:27:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x45c5398c40e84f352dfe861b781922faae76f30d40a5ac80c1d37d93fb8193baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uwlvmjs49qh7kal6t4fxel3hrns5d0qp46mzne5cxztndgzav34smpdzpf op_cert: \x5cbb3ad7ee9c41650c31739968785e55a43612ac278197c8516c1f7a71f64a2f op_cert_counter: 8