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 8618585 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 89336939 epoch_slot_no: 172139 block_no: 8618408 slot_leader_id: 4555972 size: 51915 time: 2023-04-07 21:33:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x88b399903420a66481ebc2b7bc67e0909b19a31fbdfd8e2fabafe6d95774e8a4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d0djffha6pa0fk44jsugyh8ew7lmmarr2k6m2xxe5qgl97ztjlyqdk5lmx op_cert: \x05724bf8c3e9b58bc976f29df0fc2ebb965619551609fbb8305cc57668b97d75 op_cert_counter: 12