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 8500617 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 86908688 epoch_slot_no: 335888 block_no: 8500440 slot_leader_id: 5262262 size: 38656 time: 2023-03-10 19:02:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x48ad8243e22b5faad9d771731850e5360675a3ba20613254d0cde1c61d2a717dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15ftx5gldqydsqt8cwpkjdphnf542j5lcyt8qm7s3cslx8k9au6msa8jdnc op_cert: \x7fb545a4da5a0afd49488805fe636580980b513ddcf9fc1074eadac86859fcc2 op_cert_counter: 9