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 8608680 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89132245 epoch_slot_no: 399445 block_no: 8608503 slot_leader_id: 4986022 size: 30412 time: 2023-04-05 12:42:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfcd11c8bcf24b2a3ddb02c4dd4d279232d9afb5c9ac7b07df62387f44533feb5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19swxhma6hlcf6srrj67njjua4kh088n48prkdf5s2d8h6x8j23fsyyu7gk op_cert: \x8fcf8fd93086867ed5471c706c2f2e183c85364d07d336c31e956e8cce079a7e op_cert_counter: 11