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 8616597 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 89297246 epoch_slot_no: 132446 block_no: 8616420 slot_leader_id: 4588020 size: 21254 time: 2023-04-07 10:32:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae440cd493d801dd09766383e6cafd3d26ebef037fbcecf1140cb6c8bf4570e6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v38ah9nkpaw4799796l5ypvdyrusx8pedyktw4srzj3fc8ksa40sl0vmvd op_cert: \xe11c43f7953de45e8993952a7a0f265a2aa614dc8dde92f4bc3f0edc6e6b1d3b op_cert_counter: 22