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 8610040 Details
Epoch: 403 Number of transactions in block: 46 slot_no: 89159760 epoch_slot_no: 426960 block_no: 8609863 slot_leader_id: 4575489 size: 81934 time: 2023-04-05 20:20:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x381ef6b868ddb16e393a63a951aa16b2540ef9c9e5bea12e99aaa0ec8af94bc9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tyn3yxr59rqghey6yr8psxxgnkh9j8um8hngzax2xkxgzyyh5nus6f96u5 op_cert: \x5aa997451de4e76dfa7f8978c48e878f508430140619a6474c66731226774afe op_cert_counter: 14