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 8621616 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 89400187 epoch_slot_no: 235387 block_no: 8621439 slot_leader_id: 7257008 size: 18734 time: 2023-04-08 15:07:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4572ecb903a70e6f365ee7c4377d0a521f9ac07b2a2d24a898dade5b11b4e98bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r9u9cvkhg5h4mps0la87c6qvcupfa0upzqhs6m4mnvtx9h9kc0aqraxhea op_cert: \x5cd2ccdaf06c9a96d7e5f07be3b2f1481b24e29a26b7f95887281f6079c885b9 op_cert_counter: 1659973703