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 8617240 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 89309699 epoch_slot_no: 144899 block_no: 8617063 slot_leader_id: 4555619 size: 33696 time: 2023-04-07 13:59:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6f408277e2bd925d15b1fbb7e50f38fee914f595de950074b7719b8403a92d0cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqtj7dj5hdqdfe07fzydp5rdqed88ktesuvlgljqwudqr3dlt99swz8kz2 op_cert: \xa718f59f0f87bae2deeb82c5174aa3eae1c50be149a57738fbd16565d0c8db7c op_cert_counter: 16