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 8618495 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 89335214 epoch_slot_no: 170414 block_no: 8618318 slot_leader_id: 7195216 size: 17521 time: 2023-04-07 21:05:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb240f9861c68b4063a4910004540742d371a09376df50f5a3dcd262d15c54f9aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ksvt6yywk5j2wkq3rmkxghgru7svaetmjnf8kx4636x7pwcdmgrsy8peyv op_cert: \x9f2a5ab69bbe7894a545ab949d4cace3e9443ca8898f75d91f2b083476cde2df op_cert_counter: 6