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 8618435 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 89334049 epoch_slot_no: 169249 block_no: 8618258 slot_leader_id: 4555410 size: 81719 time: 2023-04-07 20:45:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x918cce1667f424d0f253b956dd5f47ce3d24b186e36b83b5fce7473d946c167eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19qrmxdq296y6uw72dhjauh58ne2eatquhpnwlpp7cr33re83th2s6rkfka op_cert: \xd81cf3e497551cacf8da1be243463a3adae32eb17f15b4ab1e7016a394129c86 op_cert_counter: 16