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 8612682 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 89215359 epoch_slot_no: 50559 block_no: 8612505 slot_leader_id: 4568578 size: 47221 time: 2023-04-06 11:47:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfd85cfc98a6bd4ce18b37c5d4ac3fe9b838dd7097e1ced043ab17416c9923f5cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1eu03uqm2tz5t9r5lq36skujppyhnshj0a3exf87wz979tqjvtv4qs2dfj8 op_cert: \x78be41da14fb34bdffdfca2c900139bd78e422a8b98296fff5f6786127c1f2b3 op_cert_counter: 17