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 8685823 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 90726003 epoch_slot_no: 265203 block_no: 8685646 slot_leader_id: 5638717 size: 41250 time: 2023-04-23 23:24:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc566807e4ae897f1fbf6a90ded5dc1edf7abe3681e529269c49e8c6a1484a81aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r9kn6raz0jlz3q9k3c7pflfqdeaeuuckjpryrvsjkcrmj7kkxcksuh7n6t op_cert: \xc97ea040bbb91440b7a48ac991cdc4982612b586591f5f9cb6b5407cd30689b6 op_cert_counter: 8