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 8657601 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 90147456 epoch_slot_no: 118656 block_no: 8657424 slot_leader_id: 8337953 size: 87778 time: 2023-04-17 06:42:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x138664d72891af2b6cf5bdb47780fbe99d385d5c4581181a3b13c4e8c1eb270fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ymu6psutnywlp2r5fe76tq563x033h5c4cnv8grrfra6kga5kuwqc66fdf op_cert: \x1688383db9db11eb4f7e6984bc16c8d26adb3c7e05e43e4655dca1e5914f51ff op_cert_counter: 2