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 8617516 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89315667 epoch_slot_no: 150867 block_no: 8617339 slot_leader_id: 7089051 size: 1812 time: 2023-04-07 15:39:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa38e293bfe6fd46fa1aa473365630aa3896ea370f34ef5508c542a46e982d09bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zquchk9jzkz58u2a97kpg0pxaslfm72n0mr90uuh2par393da8hs5775xh op_cert: \x5d0141f03ad51ced936340bf088efdceb31a913b8fe2c4c1523310576fbc60b4 op_cert_counter: 1659973808