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 8618000 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 89325255 epoch_slot_no: 160455 block_no: 8617823 slot_leader_id: 4584819 size: 11559 time: 2023-04-07 18:19:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4cb98e349cc09a435dbb4a69771d0b9bd9457c7f9e34df9e34e0588919123c2cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ph3ke4qjsre9y4t7cj28xhaaauxgrgsna9t3pgsdgxkpt3etqzjqmk0n4z op_cert: \x6d3960fc1b54dde3f139f62c87383099ffb1aa4745b952474b36c48b2b978495 op_cert_counter: 14