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 8626596 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89504014 epoch_slot_no: 339214 block_no: 8626419 slot_leader_id: 5644002 size: 40651 time: 2023-04-09 19:58:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x539287f3b877e621b1d20f7a1663326adcdd164eb8713af0838e1b9fbca8619dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tk8arggze6yrypa3sv3s8fxzqvnc5s6g6fp2ledgtqu453f204lsjesn39 op_cert: \x3b5acca14ca5ce1d03e78f9dd5cf4973e0e94846f630974bb99497640984d61d op_cert_counter: 9