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 8601621 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 88988261 epoch_slot_no: 255461 block_no: 8601444 slot_leader_id: 4577060 size: 6112 time: 2023-04-03 20:42:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4e2b16300c9b09ebe540b02b685d0d5dc1e8b80405cf89133221d68d4c8451aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13wxu6fz7ayhv9g5t6njsf58dzkcushala5nrdhvnln02n00pcepscqhu4j op_cert: \xb2eb6c2c29d8ac00ea0ad34ea315aafa9166261a55ec541f1d2b5dc0edff1892 op_cert_counter: 14