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 8616720 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89299591 epoch_slot_no: 134791 block_no: 8616543 slot_leader_id: 5152360 size: 13564 time: 2023-04-07 11:11:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x99428504fa733dce840be0e093ce942859955cfb821fa344ea785fff6a2e869dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pmxyz8efuyj6eq6zkk373f28u47v06nwp5t59jr5fcmcusaazlmqhxu8k2 op_cert: \x7b6b05131d74b2b35b57e09b2a7019141c22516e2697fd2809e5b57a0904aefc op_cert_counter: 13