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 8618617 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 89337666 epoch_slot_no: 172866 block_no: 8618440 slot_leader_id: 4635407 size: 53090 time: 2023-04-07 21:45:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x250561d368b32fcd91028c3b03a2f6192e01e92c343cbb0a51151a25febc0e7dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17zsj096a5hd2kjgnpmfewqa09kkzwzjh4hkezhjkk9anxexhsr7sftrehd op_cert: \xed85f6b529f22f07cb0996b43f0a2b754f6b1dc78d16d5d4393268034fed16dd op_cert_counter: 38