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 8685694 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 46 slot_no: 90723310 epoch_slot_no: 262510 block_no: 8685517 slot_leader_id: 7729284 size: 74177 time: 2023-04-23 22:40:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x969a8c405ee7cd6caaf76d798ba903448e38263dbb1f1e9450b1a5bc73c26da3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14w0zuu0957d4fumkhpzlpslut4plmqhk0ex3ltmcxsq73wd3dv2qws458s op_cert: \xad3f75264986ffb2f531ece5ea7e75e16c7aae855c16b10fb376394c6ed50bc6 op_cert_counter: 18