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 8616859 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 89302363 epoch_slot_no: 137563 block_no: 8616682 slot_leader_id: 7046900 size: 52135 time: 2023-04-07 11:57:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x08ca26e9784d926ac7e2b6033b9b445c2e36eedc3b3e752cb1ec0aa0a2c6ee67Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk197w95j9alkwt8l4g7xkccknhn4pqwx65c5saxnn5ej3cpmps72msgpw69d op_cert: \x80096d88bbfdbdb58829fa1b55e1ffb30cc44b986f815772ed9c42965eb14358 op_cert_counter: 1659973012