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 8616609 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 89297421 epoch_slot_no: 132621 block_no: 8616432 slot_leader_id: 6056953 size: 19931 time: 2023-04-07 10:35:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9561a3272956633a9f98c0eb72e5ac5846d61745d921e251cbc7fbc61bf61636Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tucmrqk3vqpsrlnnc99m9hdc5ksnxrdcd9gr7pdepp9s9jqeepvqhnkald op_cert: \xd73bb65644648cb585c71c701750f81c793286eceacd2c456d91428fa848c5cc op_cert_counter: 7