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 8663721 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 90274379 epoch_slot_no: 245579 block_no: 8663544 slot_leader_id: 7047398 size: 50771 time: 2023-04-18 17:57:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa227f43352390d443f13720f8187aa74bbdae2763ae81e95cffc72da609a6a3eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18jk9z47znwq3zhtenadn9gehtmjns7jv5npj4ccdqy49yq7v306seaatt5 op_cert: \x8d415ab2e37d7fb67b83c933f9a5f5ba6c1d82af12e0d4f875688e7532b555ea op_cert_counter: 1659972715