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 8716036 Details
Epoch: 409 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 91342657 epoch_slot_no: 17857 block_no: 8715859 slot_leader_id: 5507686 size: 45250 time: 2023-05-01 02:42:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb9965e6e315b7ac08f499802c9cd8d8eabc7dcd6888aea406a718b3d77b2f1cfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kzhq8xj03l7u669l3r67qplsz4ydh0quj0yphzrnumksqrtknp8sd2r470 op_cert: \x013de353711e403d4693be7997135506123976fd4153f99cb7672101a2a81c81 op_cert_counter: 9