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 8663603 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 90271682 epoch_slot_no: 242882 block_no: 8663426 slot_leader_id: 6906417 size: 27943 time: 2023-04-18 17:12:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa49980199d6ed6f6e55729ec17be49f0280753213c03f7cce08ba06e5f5b1f6dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12xpaqdd8lpt9suu6pvf0cvgw5cmrxw0us65wt043dn4gfqgrp6jqklldnq op_cert: \x8aa5cc908851a7092f3490ac8b619ba1a32e033c4fdc5cae85cd992811ba58f9 op_cert_counter: 4