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 8617333 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 89311511 epoch_slot_no: 146711 block_no: 8617156 slot_leader_id: 5108090 size: 16389 time: 2023-04-07 14:30:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8d0fc2d9dcd09a6776a2dc49e06144b1ef4d1f240ee2e08f7db0e180e0ec694cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16n3u8f24m45ru3mtupqkzwcwmk4g7k7v654gddpz5ex0ldwtlu5sx4s29v op_cert: \x1c2b4b8158a1053dd109b8d62eb3b59e9c34bb7ba3b8252f7ceecc4d5d915f5a op_cert_counter: 14