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 8618173 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 89328602 epoch_slot_no: 163802 block_no: 8617996 slot_leader_id: 5876104 size: 56512 time: 2023-04-07 19:14:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x25ac60021863b9cd2876c760737bd28d48b7301cb39249581b4bb6287d5fff5bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v0d2sfqpjxdyu8przyu6r8d6e3tus2pkcreh8kkhmvxv6kvnckcqu5ycdk op_cert: \x9e784eb7c0dbe929ccb4c4e648b9b37c0c10c5b4b572b9a031b4fd0a9b743ad7 op_cert_counter: 10