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 8616711 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 89299427 epoch_slot_no: 134627 block_no: 8616534 slot_leader_id: 4586322 size: 16863 time: 2023-04-07 11:08:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf09d09978e6b1a1c7f6d67460c23d04e233428327a6b9da385e3ba895e58670eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uwgvrtza7fg7kjphr84yu2m8u0q2r8lepzly0d363fm7dppml6pqwnjgu8 op_cert: \x4e159218f3229527ffd8f28dd7b95ffd6687cf0fc5c925a0e8f8c57f8375d72c op_cert_counter: 12