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 8617114 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 89307368 epoch_slot_no: 142568 block_no: 8616937 slot_leader_id: 5257656 size: 16139 time: 2023-04-07 13:20:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe51bbdd0bf5a4514fe420c37b92903ef0a47582fa6b3e611d73d4953615cf16bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1atmp68skeehvhvlv9vrrc7uzqp73l3dmgp2qy9lwhdlm03qv9k2qgahx9e op_cert: \xaaf59526b066a718d4fb1edd9888c3072727b9dcc085de7a144e8d7b202e2a7d op_cert_counter: 10