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 8618699 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89339157 epoch_slot_no: 174357 block_no: 8618522 slot_leader_id: 5397454 size: 17602 time: 2023-04-07 22:10:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa6b6bfd940045f4a4f7a15c53795da54a0c66d169eba26bab3805813275b06abBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zk44347h9e4yjglay05075xru04767huws55addlugmjvl65t9as464n0x op_cert: \x5fe98abf43f34fa117ace7bd5d7f8988350438e6d4170e2a21a850aec2295909 op_cert_counter: 13