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 8638045 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 89742997 epoch_slot_no: 146197 block_no: 8637868 slot_leader_id: 7012380 size: 40156 time: 2023-04-12 14:21:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x680b7a11f9fa56684e9e641c20e7ea90b4615d005919079097bd93106b08e5feBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ggvtqrwxg6eepvuxwct4xpxwgejflg6kug6ax0wqp4uenzgfl8tsykcuhw op_cert: \x30a1fc33b186d690c77f9e2da5ca8f8cdd7c339d8c9f06a7a509ec1c520c5505 op_cert_counter: 9