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 8717517 Details
Epoch: 409 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 91373242 epoch_slot_no: 48442 block_no: 8717340 slot_leader_id: 6538171 size: 3163 time: 2023-05-01 11:12:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf9ab05cb76aea819b855934fe62acc301ce002f4ed67ea51c51d16e2f7af02eaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18f5xg9y7dmfu8ep0cvscwtldqtjk5m8fud48de0z3kdgqdh0f2tqfyjjr9 op_cert: \xc2a521c037cdef04d1db3e3fda91dd73adacd4875029ab04f56d90747782bb70 op_cert_counter: 10