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 8617577 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 89316913 epoch_slot_no: 152113 block_no: 8617400 slot_leader_id: 4559083 size: 29621 time: 2023-04-07 16:00:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaa0f7b23356febda678ec4ab62c1794fc786b20a21e0f61528fd3dfe86a55ed6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kkm2ddusu6fx76ag2cj44te7k5vjejqvq0hwcarfe5lkgdzt47ms4h9tp2 op_cert: \x4455c0db1477b8e841825aaeb2ceabd9c05d441667fccdc065f9e91542d0bf73 op_cert_counter: 13