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 8617901 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 89323096 epoch_slot_no: 158296 block_no: 8617724 slot_leader_id: 8526317 size: 16535 time: 2023-04-07 17:43:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7fd7dd761256e66d35951c4f66a66df5f3c2dcf6dbc8a1066f8cad43764c479bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fkpeek2ueuph92fgtjmnfhmpm6sg6zm8q9s2ku53jh53dnqnqz8sma3md3 op_cert: \x104249701f46c218cf0eb35dc3723417b4dd015d3ffbac7b5661eccea73cbf99 op_cert_counter: 1