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 8637423 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 89730686 epoch_slot_no: 133886 block_no: 8637246 slot_leader_id: 4710136 size: 37724 time: 2023-04-12 10:56:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x71213af483567f37f88a91dc23d154a3946fbe077b2dbaf0a35e14030a214a6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16ddt5jrstu5jt22fphm72suvx2645yctfplna088tk6zpshsqtsq7s6v78 op_cert: \x9b6353b0e046345cf047feea0fc793323ac8b192e16b07c241740d7771436c48 op_cert_counter: 12