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 8612744 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 89216892 epoch_slot_no: 52092 block_no: 8612567 slot_leader_id: 5332010 size: 45076 time: 2023-04-06 12:13:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8e5341ad5826d0ec2f60eab98576acb9b0bdf87cc413dc00057cd7ce511e14eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gfvj82r8yl7ffe5pg5w9cgys8dn77cjl0k4wqag8p0rn20ugrxgsxa26jz op_cert: \x7f8bc6817eaf145bef9cb8d1fdb7a5a04e5df0e89ca9cba10885322b7041b9da op_cert_counter: 12