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 8618409 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 89333499 epoch_slot_no: 168699 block_no: 8618232 slot_leader_id: 6096969 size: 2280 time: 2023-04-07 20:36:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbd6238c8b2f5601d81a2a18adc6943ac0790f7a74db7bdb045abb78c41fc10f5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v7n8q565aej4vqu3wkx5kcuxs3vslcr08pj70sanh3yf9fevq6dqkc6ynn op_cert: \x0016a0faaf44778a42d4bc8bf001549bf3b437966b2d31b7a50eaa2d3e794279 op_cert_counter: 11