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 8618668 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 89338459 epoch_slot_no: 173659 block_no: 8618491 slot_leader_id: 5449546 size: 44902 time: 2023-04-07 21:59:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa280c7af42428ef818b06f693a2af9fa54cdcbc7ebbb8f85a5f20d863cbe132fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk172q3w6px4earjr2vmv3mzhuxwpu0vp7z2gwgmyf434ewezh40q0qc60uz4 op_cert: \x57658830d036dd7a10dce791a50a8e9550b361dfcbb6286106c24a5fff887fe6 op_cert_counter: 10