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 8685741 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 90724229 epoch_slot_no: 263429 block_no: 8685564 slot_leader_id: 5576144 size: 12643 time: 2023-04-23 22:55:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6401e7a1bc2d4ebbfe293f0f0445251574dd8f3818872710ccb7c18276c763e9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16pyh8j9uc8ffl4ps9g0quhap0aj7525lv3l28pt7ef95h0paw4ksdsjmcq op_cert: \xfcd7b468d2eb9bd0fa78aa278f7c3f38fb8d68b87fe6e25fafb8d820118dc65a op_cert_counter: 17