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 8658623 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 48 slot_no: 90168577 epoch_slot_no: 139777 block_no: 8658446 slot_leader_id: 5471731 size: 79362 time: 2023-04-17 12:34:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfe21cf7736e4358ba5ceb4f827c007471bf7b0836baf7c5fcb12cb069b1ca52eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xxqfg0zefcws6ahuexzncssy70003m2f9qttcczvndsr6n037dsqrmnv4m op_cert: \xce5daa4c7d94116b197eec39f76d5b86d1b736b4642119fe857760714ad9a5dd op_cert_counter: 19