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 8657173 Details
Epoch: 406 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 90138626 epoch_slot_no: 109826 block_no: 8656996 slot_leader_id: 7046459 size: 36447 time: 2023-04-17 04:15:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe56a52f46f4d15e20df089e1fff792354ad9462496c8bf04dc460a503610342dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk138ryuwgexe6jk6z2sqeu0sc3gkgsuxh84gpgdweze8q5mwrlr3lqrhjwef op_cert: \x8760f6cafeb1bda16885c94ef9a66cad8c6b53c4f12e1f4a531c0bbb11fd66c5 op_cert_counter: 1659973604