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 8685716 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 90723835 epoch_slot_no: 263035 block_no: 8685539 slot_leader_id: 6448040 size: 47822 time: 2023-04-23 22:48:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x77ba7fd65cda15a93fa87167aa130806e84e5b72608f7ce07f1f53f15b2bc9a8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d2aatk9g8w8nzfljceaq0mk7r9th93cg5ry06zxa73sxlrsvyz0s0q0zkz op_cert: \x960d571a7b1fc020b1d76fe50036611b5a7310df3341c3f3c72192eecd1c3db7 op_cert_counter: 9