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 8612586 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 89213406 epoch_slot_no: 48606 block_no: 8612409 slot_leader_id: 4555943 size: 40057 time: 2023-04-06 11:14:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x062361f561a21c9ee3d1e6859d6e35247eb51fd45faabc669c2d0cd8528e1d3bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s6l5znqnxvqv3skkedlfrgy5h88gj9mkemnp2qncr53ltc9ejwfql96pyt op_cert: \x22b03e00b4c3b97a5415118697cefaaa81830f1a0d081db7dd789ae55f44d0bf op_cert_counter: 11