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 8638548 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 89753512 epoch_slot_no: 156712 block_no: 8638371 slot_leader_id: 4557275 size: 10873 time: 2023-04-12 17:16:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x20de656c9042dd6ec121de595bea7c5df312c64cecc665e560e555fd56f15b3dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17v5w0aak280g633jdkce0wl8ev89cp9uk5rqca6p769lj8nps56q6t2z9t op_cert: \xfc3b166bd9bf4295f631afc48944a9d2454059714cb98ac7b541fdecce9d8a71 op_cert_counter: 14