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 8638481 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 89752207 epoch_slot_no: 155407 block_no: 8638304 slot_leader_id: 5040184 size: 44832 time: 2023-04-12 16:54:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c80c879a4f8ef017251639f4e28cabe03b58c3babab3cbb38ac0e3585b7d78aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168c2p7uhdeq7j96lhcqqekfzmftr6wm2ml089v3y06kekxl2d8rqf56d2x op_cert: \x4c56b448a8de50ed6da1b62e159a26139bd83ec69ce137100cdf598f115ed385 op_cert_counter: 17