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 8618678 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 89338757 epoch_slot_no: 173957 block_no: 8618501 slot_leader_id: 4562293 size: 25330 time: 2023-04-07 22:04:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4e0321741984c91ae96e0eff720afa9449394bc1605feb90e902fc16e8c8be85Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk123rm6evmzlzs6qksv6p4dv62y8jevnctgcwnvvey24azpc5tq6eq2z4cv0 op_cert: \x3aff51b0204aa874bed3f0320574f0c0fa895a538b64e725fe4daedd9afb00c6 op_cert_counter: 12