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 8618034 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 89325916 epoch_slot_no: 161116 block_no: 8617857 slot_leader_id: 5023718 size: 38090 time: 2023-04-07 18:30:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x14d3e399dacefaf512f5902d6363fb7e469fa3d9ba00a9809bb65bd71b32804fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13394aw38pqs9qudwszpkz4wq4rqglgm6hcp8kv8uswvudt4f633sjzuml4 op_cert: \x08993d476726b92f108b5896b6ea17300adc512887461c8b259982e1d683dfea op_cert_counter: 17