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 8612743 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 89216848 epoch_slot_no: 52048 block_no: 8612566 slot_leader_id: 5449466 size: 52210 time: 2023-04-06 12:12:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc9a9292542ca1d804b550ade8de4b6387802e09c968b390f10d1918c7bcdd8f4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dqpls8nj7wjjr65hyh4lkyk5rczmnlpap529ty3r5a97eq2ewtpsrqul8j op_cert: \xd5d0053ceb7fc8aa6d4f8d6047d84a6a9c5a32c064f7387ece66cd9162d0f3b1 op_cert_counter: 9