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 8623657 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89442497 epoch_slot_no: 277697 block_no: 8623480 slot_leader_id: 5679081 size: 16198 time: 2023-04-09 02:53:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe9bd5ff58c231d8b78ab1e124b935d6f8dcef9b81366c25326e2ee14e10f939eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hfux2r4k866gs053uevcpce7sd9ntflszxhvlwpy7t2wvzemdpfqnyztsl op_cert: \x55554e0fff4968252ee244098d74dfd909a74de75bf9bd21722dbe407fe9f803 op_cert_counter: 15