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 8617651 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 89318296 epoch_slot_no: 153496 block_no: 8617474 slot_leader_id: 5590438 size: 26918 time: 2023-04-07 16:23:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31e163c0196b53065abb356051fa9a79248a527069272328061582be2e7274e1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12eywclvhwzv4ysdkcjjy56y7suctk4vsugzt4grjau538csy46gqfnff8q op_cert: \x8f83e262e935eb4ee516bf4e890b8185a2d0b2b3c17f516038679eb9c497dc7a op_cert_counter: 9