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 8518605 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 87278307 epoch_slot_no: 273507 block_no: 8518428 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 38569 time: 2023-03-15 01:43:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x18f225ff0449a80f2933a8add4334a02da80c837480449f8525ba7b39e0bb212Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \xe1d9371b1fec37c29fa9eab0b26213e77419a35056ffe75897a87168ad44ddc9 op_cert_counter: 14