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 8618217 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 53 slot_no: 89329554 epoch_slot_no: 164754 block_no: 8618040 slot_leader_id: 5680671 size: 88044 time: 2023-04-07 19:30:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf41d52936c6fbaf1274a48861f2f78eef9c3cba3ebbc22b5e3d83c687fd4f46eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1um6d02g99m807nqvkk7zl5e646y9z2hghftk720xfqpeuv4yuwyqxuhhfd op_cert: \x84ed2c71c22e52f8bc34e619591b0d1db16208eef85448cc45d12efe7d24d67e op_cert_counter: 9