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 8717501 Details
Epoch: 409 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 91372760 epoch_slot_no: 47960 block_no: 8717324 slot_leader_id: 5744703 size: 88179 time: 2023-05-01 11:04:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x99555662a4234a299224e314ff3568dc5988efa890bd2b5563b2fe0993657eeaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vae3ps6sd2ahg59psg4yedjs7c4hf79v6zyfnm0fk6geldal5l9qjhc3vn op_cert: \x3d1103667b91485f7f30e2739956baa78dc47c2fc6d6843c4ca5e4cb757b2b2f op_cert_counter: 9