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 8617908 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 89323233 epoch_slot_no: 158433 block_no: 8617731 slot_leader_id: 7376318 size: 67716 time: 2023-04-07 17:45:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x556fb89ffd8eb9a5bec33114887bc8fdb7c8e1debffffe634f821be28ea1669eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cmequ53at5z6wfecymqfj335f03xv2ak3mh434lqdfgylg6zvsdq9zcms8 op_cert: \x2b2075d75051c37d4f644c245015cb2e6a9577b69d09c211e8ce271db436ae45 op_cert_counter: 1659975271