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 8618137 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 89328049 epoch_slot_no: 163249 block_no: 8617960 slot_leader_id: 4563878 size: 17059 time: 2023-04-07 19:05:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0917b5b25a3867396a2344d5da6aedd353a61b2f05f05c96eba54d4f94cd4f2eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sr5n4gdd7p0cjvp7yfnz503nk689kvhmmstj402s4pljylxc5j9szl9epq op_cert: \x1086002773fcf3d3eb449865554e5be2f7ff7721a2c523420602bd1ef96c3a43 op_cert_counter: 12