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 8618264 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 89330485 epoch_slot_no: 165685 block_no: 8618087 slot_leader_id: 5568326 size: 59713 time: 2023-04-07 19:46:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x17cdbfa3d8fb5e11b72254b6349fbab1e282d67b173b4c3ed208634f4d2f2daeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uyetyme67x7j50t2lqm6kzdxqapxy4exg9dznjnq63mcl7fa5a8q494gez op_cert: \x9e8340756d86c293594e830b9e18588b5896e02cb0d8c9d7c7cc0ed51e31c567 op_cert_counter: 9