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 8618639 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 89338027 epoch_slot_no: 173227 block_no: 8618462 slot_leader_id: 7046511 size: 55705 time: 2023-04-07 21:51:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8cc18fbb0cf87d405c3b7aec3b13b725dd9bd50bbe3d640112575cdadcf16fd4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18n2p53sjjamukq6gevwckvym8fwrfrv037j669zwr33swsxyl7hstjqndu op_cert: \xc4b0739c40e1a091516f8db74d4ed92a4aeb87cddce4b512c3aaa668e8f71ca2 op_cert_counter: 1659973077