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 8616578 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 37 slot_no: 89296757 epoch_slot_no: 131957 block_no: 8616401 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 63729 time: 2023-04-07 10:24:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2985b492ed9509a6bbe8b01b2155a422ddc071307e3cbdec8de1b60edc4ac2b4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \x375628c1a0fc91243906a07053f19e74fc9c6680e246eb6de05f5a3c36b60af8 op_cert_counter: 15