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 8500046 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86897070 epoch_slot_no: 324270 block_no: 8499869 slot_leader_id: 7534301 size: 40152 time: 2023-03-10 15:49:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x338d6b02fc3cabef05bbbb2c80757fe8b135534ba6762c222f71470f4d86cd5bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hc8s85ktsjqvwdk0s5zfpz25smg9xx4mw0qf4cp6udaumw9mxw4sxse940 op_cert: \xe6fc87be3a1f33fa5fa18a85e7f6458dfc53c47cadd1b319df0496b0492d51e0 op_cert_counter: 6