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 8616639 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 89297978 epoch_slot_no: 133178 block_no: 8616462 slot_leader_id: 4581221 size: 13540 time: 2023-04-07 10:44:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf69de3c2d1a0e35877f63775c2a182051b62d29d88531b705479df3cf094840dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mqmks9nnl8er83vfpzcdfnw59azlsnmghwcv3umg2uh9g83u58uqnrtmn2 op_cert: \x75af53c3d1c4ff45960ac245cb3a3a77deda43728b8bff7d782128d990f925f5 op_cert_counter: 12