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 8618717 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89339477 epoch_slot_no: 174677 block_no: 8618540 slot_leader_id: 4558149 size: 43118 time: 2023-04-07 22:16:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34d2da74184703a75abd66f98daf9b1b87e333c571548f05ecf6a5c188a9c2bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16gc6z40vt9qmwsfmlgy4n9ftxamfyawzsuspgug3a8w90jx6jv8s7j6knz op_cert: \xe9a517edb21776f47e45dff05d51245234a491fad068a5106737910ac442c5db op_cert_counter: 13