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 8685676 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 90722772 epoch_slot_no: 261972 block_no: 8685499 slot_leader_id: 5570484 size: 29744 time: 2023-04-23 22:31:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb3c73a1233ff7c4a7f1f556f4f9a6713a753ed6c16626552dc88fcb9604c7f04Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18sd0nzu96fr4x9hjaynpfkxng58fmq4sftw8zqply0qpympj57ssc8vqkj op_cert: \x2b9dc7e8472e378bbd395f8ca6dd5109d3b6acee958f3635e88691aed19a3d0a op_cert_counter: 8