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 8638523 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 89753037 epoch_slot_no: 156237 block_no: 8638346 slot_leader_id: 8404251 size: 33381 time: 2023-04-12 17:08:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa9c5157b0292c96d68387cbdef1fa79ed5842b8a841a60f062a1c3eae96a9e3aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wn4cq98ah5j9jkty47538y0pc3phy9jjvqtkkdgkuup5qgnddsgqyr6h8t op_cert: \x3b4a6c3355ff01c711178fd7090c016ecdd2351596c33965ec05061b614a6bb4 op_cert_counter: 0