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 8642731 Details
Epoch: 405 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 89840148 epoch_slot_no: 243348 block_no: 8642554 slot_leader_id: 4558321 size: 4219 time: 2023-04-13 17:20:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5ea6bddf33274118255eaff028d50bbc2885d2b2cac3f8587df78d9d5918d6ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s4mtwaux6gujlh3f99tfg59ssunv7pr0khspnjd87evmh4fqkr7strnql2 op_cert: \x9590f21f994d4b727cf8eb9e0ed82b56257afdc429d7b3267ae71f97d4f672f5 op_cert_counter: 13