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 8617604 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 89317356 epoch_slot_no: 152556 block_no: 8617427 slot_leader_id: 5388331 size: 17996 time: 2023-04-07 16:07:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x921204c1522f086c004dc12956e96845b14029ff8bd744f0493ea27434de7df5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qj2ya4zs9r8zuzlprmh7edcp3skdzd2r9gk9mfj4up52jdasl5es8ukz74 op_cert: \xfc499994e047acdf8ce4e4b9965af8d577ece5ab2aa4c6fa0e48281316a8f4b8 op_cert_counter: 7