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 8685709 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 90723727 epoch_slot_no: 262927 block_no: 8685532 slot_leader_id: 8526317 size: 36789 time: 2023-04-23 22:46:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x06389e2df3be68f56a643c20a211abdfa4c52e02683d04c0d0f1aa881ee888f8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fkpeek2ueuph92fgtjmnfhmpm6sg6zm8q9s2ku53jh53dnqnqz8sma3md3 op_cert: \x104249701f46c218cf0eb35dc3723417b4dd015d3ffbac7b5661eccea73cbf99 op_cert_counter: 1