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 8660042 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 90198236 epoch_slot_no: 169436 block_no: 8659865 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 39203 time: 2023-04-17 20:48:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x57138b0bf8974c84035e7ed672618a545df2ccc4fdaf334ee1a3b7a82aa88d29Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xce25514a79b55f1a48fd42ca66c5a72e80d7c0ba3cb344b520c958d880aa6cde op_cert_counter: 15