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 8517608 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 87258073 epoch_slot_no: 253273 block_no: 8517431 slot_leader_id: 4581743 size: 59533 time: 2023-03-14 20:06:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcb70c3cfcd7cc294390f8c3d5703a93bcd9b88fdd85303fc19e371d9caa807dfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10muay2s03zv47g7dqqqfkjk8w52a9auk6mz35vc79k7e70sw0jjq2qd234 op_cert: \x8595770f93b851c0e1aaab7bc067681ee2fdb45b8ba6ccac9d81e7a11e08b907 op_cert_counter: 13