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 8616901 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 89303205 epoch_slot_no: 138405 block_no: 8616724 slot_leader_id: 4577190 size: 19475 time: 2023-04-07 12:11:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa49dcefabbf0ed438af5444f2d9615d2908f2df095c1cc78c2978ce8c8f7b6a7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12nypp548uqajhg8trnwwsk7fvdp8ljg9murd03ncwwvkuhje675q2vlyss op_cert: \x4eb8f43fa90034829c83a16f17ebe56fb6bdcba378fa365a9b39798ce97c7b4e op_cert_counter: 13