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 8626682 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89505436 epoch_slot_no: 340636 block_no: 8626505 slot_leader_id: 5324560 size: 83115 time: 2023-04-09 20:22:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31ff59a28682dec3f4cf3ba45d56d07921acc3dca7d4aa203e77a2d5c2e34a6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1un64vdcsmfaj77gurz8dzp8ffgxzxed958fgq0ad7nphh2dpq86scuxke4 op_cert: \xae8f36615a3e6bfd16dd66e72e9232c4765c3f96c900bf10b05318c5969d2e23 op_cert_counter: 11