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 8517915 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 87264271 epoch_slot_no: 259471 block_no: 8517738 slot_leader_id: 5870905 size: 44786 time: 2023-03-14 21:49:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb26d31a6128c6e33affeaf8dfca6f4f95790fb2206a02fc64da188ee4e38f4b8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk144ypakf59ccgk3n5nm8eqkfcy27qzrd2df8qmdxdy0rhfpqd37hq7g5wt4 op_cert: \xd2ca50ba781f47abd91fb6a09e63358b46887b09b031bb19e9138186f083bba8 op_cert_counter: 10