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 8618840 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 47 slot_no: 89342271 epoch_slot_no: 177471 block_no: 8618663 slot_leader_id: 4579330 size: 80849 time: 2023-04-07 23:02:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x683f4bcd920757202b47e0945f4eb30f225f291ba2a159eb77a946f98e5e8d7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17hff333krucx82wjdhnwnfvusg8p4zn22lwmf2pmd2e5mghu52hqvpf8qj op_cert: \xf103bdca4167defd72999a076a1ce423bbe7c37a36a6d1cc8ccf97d147748a14 op_cert_counter: 11