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 8608419 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 89126416 epoch_slot_no: 393616 block_no: 8608242 slot_leader_id: 8361216 size: 31595 time: 2023-04-05 11:05:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5e700f62a6639ea80b29e56269544b1e0f48e41e2945cc07838eb1a2f7cc4ddbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cy7x3hetydgf4aym5fvex5vet77xzy8xd3uq2esjm9w09z2750yqrjk259 op_cert: \xacce196ed9a4536c2d41ea9b632decbb145637c4fd133f5ff109aac7bf565658 op_cert_counter: 0