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 8601895 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 88993495 epoch_slot_no: 260695 block_no: 8601718 slot_leader_id: 4597919 size: 17253 time: 2023-04-03 22:09:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0baf3d617af841ae4bae561b04254194ff5baf49e07e5f8105b82981ac36e46fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqxua5h367t3u6hh8e0a2xaykstvkvefln3zc6sn8c3wrqpu3mzsexem67 op_cert: \x4b9ab34c1441058fa02629f09ebe7d5fbeb44d26844f4d4f9cb568be494904b0 op_cert_counter: 31