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 8616973 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 89305019 epoch_slot_no: 140219 block_no: 8616796 slot_leader_id: 4983283 size: 52079 time: 2023-04-07 12:41:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x12059a686ab413537a9a0242580a471b740973207c661dd6635ce9b101eb7be9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rz8xg6xvljsywl5knlxycyzv3j0d3nyeezm6elzee958lzl9fvyqq353xd op_cert: \xba87fbfcfa5a8ecb751e51469402bba3adf849569de8c016b2ffe48b976e1f31 op_cert_counter: 12