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 8610598 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89171878 epoch_slot_no: 7078 block_no: 8610421 slot_leader_id: 5688653 size: 78162 time: 2023-04-05 23:42:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x99868d09fc7e91bc5e14baf4cb79d2ba4f4e7e83e7b7ebe687ca40bd607f5d3cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1peft92ad7jhy2ev6pcvn7ma3l4x6nqjfmu4dj6aesryplapmfhlsr4w0km op_cert: \x13c6b700a0b1516230b92e5e0a2b7d29421e7169edca42ab343aebf03b2c79cf op_cert_counter: 10