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 8640538 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 89795469 epoch_slot_no: 198669 block_no: 8640361 slot_leader_id: 5040184 size: 87917 time: 2023-04-13 04:56:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x78dcb58a33c5cd4e6abe4352befd561fb6c0020519407c6958f1e2f7aa47f24dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168c2p7uhdeq7j96lhcqqekfzmftr6wm2ml089v3y06kekxl2d8rqf56d2x op_cert: \x4c56b448a8de50ed6da1b62e159a26139bd83ec69ce137100cdf598f115ed385 op_cert_counter: 17