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 8618315 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89331743 epoch_slot_no: 166943 block_no: 8618138 slot_leader_id: 6538171 size: 72180 time: 2023-04-07 20:07:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0a43b65f1e5f1c56dea84357e9fa6812857949b1b2fb50108c2d8e046be90f5fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18f5xg9y7dmfu8ep0cvscwtldqtjk5m8fud48de0z3kdgqdh0f2tqfyjjr9 op_cert: \xc2a521c037cdef04d1db3e3fda91dd73adacd4875029ab04f56d90747782bb70 op_cert_counter: 10