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 8685873 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 90726825 epoch_slot_no: 266025 block_no: 8685696 slot_leader_id: 5622368 size: 19855 time: 2023-04-23 23:38:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae63ce96a8e810b86cb93d5174f9ce56b97a698930774e51899728649746e977Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17qzz805y9v4vvpg7z40zvrdv6lke33xj30svzpcr2247xj8c4n4sqe7sm3 op_cert: \x539a675d17a116242ff2d01cf6843c4e375d684e240f3fe9d2778a0adefba679 op_cert_counter: 9