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 8603686 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 89030233 epoch_slot_no: 297433 block_no: 8603509 slot_leader_id: 6038793 size: 11897 time: 2023-04-04 08:22:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbd138a7ad7422e12822d38dc3f5be9c728ca2ec7e206ed99d0943c617b6510f3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10tzp74qg3sta407csr9dcyfuzsqy2trl0gwj0k4tvge0tz2tvknq0035gm op_cert: \x2217f4367f1a616038d116e72b82d5aa44a188792809c6f6679b5882a0cfe8a1 op_cert_counter: 7