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 8608426 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89126543 epoch_slot_no: 393743 block_no: 8608249 slot_leader_id: 4974801 size: 24694 time: 2023-04-05 11:07:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb8eb77bae757847e347a735251c329fdee267b4ca4dbc4b9bc247e917479186eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fgsrj2aj8nhnwa7ur606nvr3nmyznd9c0j0y99g5rhahceurcvgqjtksw3 op_cert: \x2098e228ab63f9f28b242cb040d8251436c9bfcca64f25dff973c9e6e3aa478e op_cert_counter: 12