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 8617497 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 89315223 epoch_slot_no: 150423 block_no: 8617320 slot_leader_id: 4583744 size: 3132 time: 2023-04-07 15:31:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x422b2953151afc25a625a5e2fe425ff073c62a3f505f5198976497b49a4b656eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u9sg4d2u8wqqaxp9uxfyh9ky4stt0fqmydvf4t8a8rn7suv6zjns2gavac op_cert: \xf73b64b6b70ed4a1b0820be66172277792fb16e81bb84d6782a98376ebebd4ad op_cert_counter: 12