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 8616577 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 89296687 epoch_slot_no: 131887 block_no: 8616400 slot_leader_id: 5904986 size: 32743 time: 2023-04-07 10:22:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc9a7b94de688af066a38569b2b5ae8e7277c807f83dfc7b01a5437006a82f8b2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1anrqmtdj6e6cyq8l0jq3wka2hcwp3sq0tc9a5w6ccnjt05yterestd02xj op_cert: \xbdaffb79eafe1a1b7e66edda191688eca0be472fc8f20473ce6d3660481a8e17 op_cert_counter: 11