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 8618704 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89339244 epoch_slot_no: 174444 block_no: 8618527 slot_leader_id: 5246212 size: 39259 time: 2023-04-07 22:12:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x170ec7fb6aa60176bfa5fde2d5a4ff0a0794c231d06c796a2be024e1651f8a8dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v3k7qj7gndzd9v9w99z4rlvqdw8n3cmn9f8w2pspgh36lld4gfqqemvh4r op_cert: \xa154555cd8ad3a2e91c10da68e699e917dcbdda707868f80dcc2bebfdebb3aad op_cert_counter: 14