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 8618497 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 89335250 epoch_slot_no: 170450 block_no: 8618320 slot_leader_id: 4630078 size: 49021 time: 2023-04-07 21:05:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xec0e77621e838cd2bc1f360c7e2e8411ceff05ea75825a51933ae1ce8fe9691eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk177scr85eeu7ma3uzx5d69pglcsqjcjaxrkwl228rd75phaxgetyqls072n op_cert: \x248ce027000cdc070936b231a4ce84fa0dd62a4730d5c0f96bb65096cfdecbf1 op_cert_counter: 12