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 8640493 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 89794549 epoch_slot_no: 197749 block_no: 8640316 slot_leader_id: 5555137 size: 51965 time: 2023-04-13 04:40:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa54ff64806c50f699ace00af394b01c60ae8f7fd49e02a63ca2956ab7f523588Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x4gcag7r4n0pld5qdd38etqqsmfsjp5sehughrrg7ew7kesd67zs9va90y op_cert: \x608feff1b30c826c82b29c9bd8a2db1fdf63854aeb75c4381b6a3389c33c9cfd op_cert_counter: 8