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 8618624 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89337781 epoch_slot_no: 172981 block_no: 8618447 slot_leader_id: 4583203 size: 52355 time: 2023-04-07 21:47:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x560a27c2aa09d0058b1efb4a4fa621afce76590bbb23d5a0d7cc46613f88f07aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yu4mjf8q5nqdzzpu5whjc0u5eesxdct685sk6gyxuzztfgpzy44skl3035 op_cert: \xf53f48f0290179855e2f60f86db89298d56085d28aa233a1273e4912151f72ee op_cert_counter: 14