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 8623521 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 89439642 epoch_slot_no: 274842 block_no: 8623344 slot_leader_id: 5449482 size: 19070 time: 2023-04-09 02:05:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfa01e220ac787a6a21d7f44ec4e55df2fc32b390da34afc387ac1c33a11e0a38Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lhar3jlzz9qhqr96p26ptqxm43nwwnt8dtq58yzwpcvks9flgnjqcfqt2u op_cert: \x9217a6bdf7ec28529269f16df6ba1ef8623f266b2ec378763a933cfde709a900 op_cert_counter: 9