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 8638678 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 89756187 epoch_slot_no: 159387 block_no: 8638501 slot_leader_id: 7375455 size: 31979 time: 2023-04-12 18:01:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72c6c963ec4aedc929bb1fdf39a5d5a73f100aa8bc2e134e79068337d810377eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hew0pmmv846tq54lfkypz8el08tv0tqtmu8drkhwk9hfxqetqv2st9cgyw op_cert: \xd5ca8750628896fa20fa5988536994f078ea772662742a5652a448ec8370b194 op_cert_counter: 6