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 8618458 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89334480 epoch_slot_no: 169680 block_no: 8618281 slot_leader_id: 7046714 size: 55111 time: 2023-04-07 20:52:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6fbbc1b8ccc033502a7bef1328076bcee2b04b549d2e7b047aae513fe5944bdeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pp8s76kxdlhl907rurnja2cyq4u62t6cx2u57eg70a7uy8p6uq9qurplqq op_cert: \x42a4dac98e91c524049fb9fceaa7a88c494f822df2d5221869755160e2318e66 op_cert_counter: 1659973257