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 8617121 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89307495 epoch_slot_no: 142695 block_no: 8616944 slot_leader_id: 4664676 size: 16601 time: 2023-04-07 13:23:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x44bd2d7ede6319355877ce628d19308abf4e1fc2916c9a5792dd004468e4d1fbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ccmn22jxu6rmt2s98kch5ry8h666pasqf2sx969aj2el62g4kx3sg0xglv op_cert: \xe190396324e4dd1e6dd3d65a12657f9deff46fc8e26e9e784aa78c9cd739936b op_cert_counter: 18