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 8616558 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 89296403 epoch_slot_no: 131603 block_no: 8616381 slot_leader_id: 5449547 size: 39537 time: 2023-04-07 10:18:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaafd66afeb62afa7706b280cf2c9e7e3a008be3d3318c1d15447a87e13e353bcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ez0v4ln4xj4hehp9hvjpjt589u088mn6cryp9yj58mp9m2ju95fs6c8qyz op_cert: \x140fd63d562494a312a63b19afaeb9a581d1521cabd933024a7c5724d91bebfd op_cert_counter: 9