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 8617338 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 89311641 epoch_slot_no: 146841 block_no: 8617161 slot_leader_id: 5609069 size: 62425 time: 2023-04-07 14:32:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfd1746c591c17e3913ef7f43f90e2967e13f0a629aa052cd62e16e6c798af5daBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1umc4uaql3pps827tkzzwdzgrug0482utuya77f2xvn6497xye8uqflwjxz op_cert: \xf7a7a01c771232f66a586c09c7411426f604bd1785a3a696c692511e1bbe3838 op_cert_counter: 9