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 8616986 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89305258 epoch_slot_no: 140458 block_no: 8616809 slot_leader_id: 5279020 size: 32721 time: 2023-04-07 12:45:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf7133a39e7618e477c47a77d4c1a84ab45605ca686788de78f3fa86a1c5eaf1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c78xtz4s0ezu26wkkspcpyxphg30favfzftxnp0ugd8saxqnc7fsn85g9t op_cert: \x493d4a212466213a3460f46f72ae3b5081aae8ff470322f864ed7133cd4c17f0 op_cert_counter: 9