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 8616603 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89297368 epoch_slot_no: 132568 block_no: 8616426 slot_leader_id: 4577845 size: 35080 time: 2023-04-07 10:34:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x197d74adb0a40a14fea1ba89b4526c8615ccebd14f8070236440b896f839374dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqt0tpt9sxq3wz5eahqhqjcm8ak6pjc78ua4y4968lhsw3s7xl5qlz58rv op_cert: \x74a7cd7287f91769d17b92b879e1e2084cbdc8a8ffb2c1ca83ebbef4a9670940 op_cert_counter: 13