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 8642488 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 89834664 epoch_slot_no: 237864 block_no: 8642311 slot_leader_id: 5449547 size: 39604 time: 2023-04-13 15:49:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1047d7a01fcc647cee83a9501dcfeeba08edc16dca180e3818e4015ecaa37f9fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ez0v4ln4xj4hehp9hvjpjt589u088mn6cryp9yj58mp9m2ju95fs6c8qyz op_cert: \x140fd63d562494a312a63b19afaeb9a581d1521cabd933024a7c5724d91bebfd op_cert_counter: 9