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 8617961 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 89324400 epoch_slot_no: 159600 block_no: 8617784 slot_leader_id: 5386156 size: 47558 time: 2023-04-07 18:04:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x76f104c7af5d2d6fabc982ca638ca70f93775d3c609bd94dadd885d40a3b6a2cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lzn59e98dr57vxem3jq5u7mpenlznjhw3y420tfjcwf4mmtgr27q3708u0 op_cert: \x3fb50811af2cdceb491b9e33d07a1305e5b19c78dee00a345fa75c3675eea7ed op_cert_counter: 10