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 8630397 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 89582797 epoch_slot_no: 417997 block_no: 8630220 slot_leader_id: 4624978 size: 39641 time: 2023-04-10 17:51:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x167299bdb63ba14b3ae37e7e583baa51fdc6a3dabad72e30dc4fe3c169a621d9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16un5trthq4l4fkfk076vcknwz9y4ftnqfzhwdz7u5rjwqay4c74q72h8lh op_cert: \x233c6c9ce08b9993b2a705228a7574d942a9cd6f34e95269ebc9f66ae46e29d5 op_cert_counter: 12