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 8718520 Details
Epoch: 409 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 91393611 epoch_slot_no: 68811 block_no: 8718343 slot_leader_id: 7046511 size: 20603 time: 2023-05-01 16:51:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x97bb207b57aee6c5ced5f2b6daaeae071bba656975bd412941ad6486799dc57dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18n2p53sjjamukq6gevwckvym8fwrfrv037j669zwr33swsxyl7hstjqndu op_cert: \x347f003dd7e1e4d08b87be0549c063369e2197b3598417a513d161ceb31576c6 op_cert_counter: 1659973078