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 8626698 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 89505811 epoch_slot_no: 341011 block_no: 8626521 slot_leader_id: 4573058 size: 41309 time: 2023-04-09 20:28:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x989bb74d98ebe46389a8c9af05aa10dc9b1509ce7d4e38571abda3a20736ceb9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f6xhq4vk480uh3mexmd2gxvsw7k9qpts34xjntg40wnjr3lywj6qezqz73 op_cert: \xf35e332d469412336c3a0ac1d4cbc50e1b40e472904f0093e91e0bbc897bcd10 op_cert_counter: 11