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 8661398 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 90226037 epoch_slot_no: 197237 block_no: 8661221 slot_leader_id: 4586341 size: 31076 time: 2023-04-18 04:32:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x45c96ba5198391be2d82a858314c0d31f528f916b1864204301325eb7926a8cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rpe8smeujgprr4zh7lkpap3uuafzf6tncgsnvl429tpmt6r35wyqy87aph op_cert: \xa162ef0aa359aeb6e30811a83acf30cba32891eb2f647757bef934c06608640d op_cert_counter: 13