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 8616340 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 89292009 epoch_slot_no: 127209 block_no: 8616163 slot_leader_id: 7903459 size: 43533 time: 2023-04-07 09:05:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x99225558e132e54ad89eb9036b060a3841146e622ab617138edd1ae16cfe401cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z7jkgvsrrxj34y6w87qgqnuy5r2yennekn5pqzza0k7g2ux6mj3s3c5th5 op_cert: \xabd4a79e884f06528775a4cda61bc162743a254485a6466741abcad572d1f805 op_cert_counter: 3