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 8617005 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 89305560 epoch_slot_no: 140760 block_no: 8616828 slot_leader_id: 5476184 size: 24276 time: 2023-04-07 12:50:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4f3ab0fc0e51251b34175f045dc5a3fdd73bff04df3f6a66b4d9f74cdf152e0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16nc6275seaej24sjagspzm9mfgyc6fnu60ly8a84nzn0ygguv5esz9fcdv op_cert: \xc93e32d04648208919cea5543c858259673a7511742d9b804162aee17814fa64 op_cert_counter: 13