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 8618426 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 89333857 epoch_slot_no: 169057 block_no: 8618249 slot_leader_id: 8157918 size: 19154 time: 2023-04-07 20:42:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbdc22b0145b1e6a1bec47ddfb5b2ea1511341f56ee4e563d5d8daae051be9b24Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kqeqcyhxkk6y9e3wsk95hfdnsw2pgj05rt06sr6emnh3w2dm9uns8ll28m op_cert: \x474890f2351cc20c61c8369e2662ac6df50b078b2fdc9fd7dbf3aab6f0c919f2 op_cert_counter: 2