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 8517623 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 87258503 epoch_slot_no: 253703 block_no: 8517446 slot_leader_id: 7729284 size: 53719 time: 2023-03-14 20:13:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x259bc2a4cec09fdc8a5e2ee89b99fb70a7cd62dad924f3d1052daf625ee5e1eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14w0zuu0957d4fumkhpzlpslut4plmqhk0ex3ltmcxsq73wd3dv2qws458s op_cert: \x2fe33a70949fdff639f14079c7c77b1c7f9afb951642f67710626776992670d8 op_cert_counter: 14