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 8616688 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 89298774 epoch_slot_no: 133974 block_no: 8616511 slot_leader_id: 4788203 size: 44397 time: 2023-04-07 10:57:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x815f7ee2b3bc2097ce6edd98db41d377d95dfccf5b20b83c5f6d72c1eef0ccbaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uatrt2xzhxs382ss5u9mr20aahzx8s000c077xerulzy22dzxy3qc0r6qv op_cert: \x9c6689a625fb22cd17df084718f232155a15a73b56103a96a117e5d4a58f95a8 op_cert_counter: 10