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 8617601 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 89317294 epoch_slot_no: 152494 block_no: 8617424 slot_leader_id: 5152904 size: 85112 time: 2023-04-07 16:06:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x14b68646d40d18272b8d5bed39133ae7311d42ecaf5451df8b5c29c18bded746Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pqsnv96072nq89pjw6wkyj6qw4qrw7v7qs6ak7y8aah7w4htdauq8syga5 op_cert: \x3ae5ba9b39f5b6f56342aadbb4780d2ec7b92d285600c4d5780588258c93d480 op_cert_counter: 13