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 8642608 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 89837191 epoch_slot_no: 240391 block_no: 8642431 slot_leader_id: 4555645 size: 20796 time: 2023-04-13 16:31:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb8d30ed14cf5b3a27b6572aac5cdcd5feab88922fa8e957af73691170aff1fafBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18mvldxxw5k9gd9a8dznc63ez4x80mpdkz6l0wrm6y430p22nvfqq62u7ty op_cert: \xbfb98bcdc1dd2aeea4c128f6ff32cb3700f111b892393e8434d3c7e311d7fd9e op_cert_counter: 15