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 8617238 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 89309661 epoch_slot_no: 144861 block_no: 8617061 slot_leader_id: 5003808 size: 22725 time: 2023-04-07 13:59:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x567028975cd321764551709061ff2d27b9876cd0a9267e6edd6ea73dff7181fdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk143s9r24ek68k3pchwj6ene5h5sq2nqek5gc8tkueych36h3g69aq8pergs op_cert: \x74315f1be9966e2ed5cd5abd38f8a1b7042731a3de58a93d645b51b0de8fcee3 op_cert_counter: 13