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 8663514 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 90269848 epoch_slot_no: 241048 block_no: 8663337 slot_leader_id: 4591434 size: 47313 time: 2023-04-18 16:42:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x871be3e9b4d2981733f4359a4d982eaa5d5d98cd6a1a1c156b551ff7bc5c3baaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15l5xndch25p7uvtarv7dyagh4zgkvk5yzzndttv99sswhn7umfcqe2xv0h op_cert: \xa34b46b5808e50ebb8522c8b065de1744a98ab424f9ac237e5dbf169810597a8 op_cert_counter: 12