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 8642508 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89835018 epoch_slot_no: 238218 block_no: 8642331 slot_leader_id: 4764127 size: 16533 time: 2023-04-13 15:55:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x594a35ad9710a857e4079286ce9569f4d687673868e14e34c2301d025bbbbd1aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gm2gudv2pztta3n5fq4uf2t98fhwc06tq8guz89l9t9a9xyuplzszgq6vw op_cert: \x88679fcd6d77ad5b0aba4be5e757a7a9886663cf692d6859ba5bfd5ffe603bd1 op_cert_counter: 12