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 8663443 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 90268270 epoch_slot_no: 239470 block_no: 8663266 slot_leader_id: 8157918 size: 28634 time: 2023-04-18 16:16:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x69177745d3b5421aa881e2af4ba81a8646d83d5ef16cc55ff7e040652f5d19a9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kqeqcyhxkk6y9e3wsk95hfdnsw2pgj05rt06sr6emnh3w2dm9uns8ll28m op_cert: \x474890f2351cc20c61c8369e2662ac6df50b078b2fdc9fd7dbf3aab6f0c919f2 op_cert_counter: 2