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 8618643 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 89338124 epoch_slot_no: 173324 block_no: 8618466 slot_leader_id: 5114286 size: 84769 time: 2023-04-07 21:53:35 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x663af3c5d1ed277d799a5229678a07247e32b86cb5193302d2e99d7823cc4d34Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15mraalry4lpekm27mzld8za8lw6dvufxq97w8c8sjkuvekkkg6hqsng65e op_cert: \xb5baf392dc236180e8f6c250b092836d2193c05ce4e979122c9c58dd019efde6 op_cert_counter: 12