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 8618398 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 89333338 epoch_slot_no: 168538 block_no: 8618221 slot_leader_id: 5835182 size: 23384 time: 2023-04-07 20:33:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x35824dbfe3cc79a520bdafe1d2be61c7ec5b37b007468c62324498602d12f23cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10h6ugd2c0tn7f4xdfsz7tm4k0uhggpsmlh22fd8tp85gynqcc4tqm2slmc op_cert: \xd4499fcb38d4b3b9d6f5fae4798bbce9f059eca1a035e6b5ca4fc65f3a570350 op_cert_counter: 7