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 8604662 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 89049350 epoch_slot_no: 316550 block_no: 8604485 slot_leader_id: 4628586 size: 46766 time: 2023-04-04 13:40:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xffbc0bf5b5b39f30a90ceb499ea711b160ce44406cdde727705b2a37ca81e3ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12k65tnyj7m358l5n65g63jy2rh65yt3xhdkne24fs2j9p5lajzmsdzasa6 op_cert: \x657232ea3c5377a3782b869d436ddb051823b53a418cd9e75fbdb6b6d77a30b4 op_cert_counter: 27