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 8617886 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 89322794 epoch_slot_no: 157994 block_no: 8617709 slot_leader_id: 5908779 size: 72275 time: 2023-04-07 17:38:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x50463bc59bc8f8adc8b002797a1ac00abd2698128949009fd9eda970c1ee7901Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13a25epkk7glsw3ffrlggcvwg69gmpcheeuev5dej7qqpxsx55sxqap2xu9 op_cert: \xc578d2134c2f2db69de2ee8f4113b1a090a5882fa73f2e8e61482f1f4dd33733 op_cert_counter: 10