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 8616488 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 89295100 epoch_slot_no: 130300 block_no: 8616311 slot_leader_id: 4711714 size: 11451 time: 2023-04-07 09:56:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8f81218283d0bdfc822cd57355e93901dfb2411c74ada0d6aa88a0a9d2a09cbaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1epams3708wqnm8khz8u3hhph9f3zyl7eh3k7a9k2ys03y9nz73msfxhwug op_cert: \x50483278ca96b1d29ba1bf508e1cb749f31ccae01bc9aae5b437eb80953c7c06 op_cert_counter: 15