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 8608306 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 89123899 epoch_slot_no: 391099 block_no: 8608129 slot_leader_id: 7046618 size: 15426 time: 2023-04-05 10:23:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x49d2a6556567abb359631dc9e9b910275ee48e4ff8359f6946a0289e4e6cccfeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yx0wlq38wts5edet68apfdh8jxmjwkekmt40rtexfp2melwlq3wqhqemz0 op_cert: \xdffa8bd7e8aafccada8f6ccad3f880485a3fea4136ae5e1f946388b14345ff88 op_cert_counter: 1659819329