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 8500697 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 48 slot_no: 86909959 epoch_slot_no: 337159 block_no: 8500520 slot_leader_id: 4696941 size: 87260 time: 2023-03-10 19:24:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf9d2f5488bf68746228dad031bfbfe774e91be5b0b3083edf670b9b1a234580fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19h040d0e6rt9e63fljt8yq8r0edlrv96q8wc2d7edszut6z0e9wqcgrq6g op_cert: \x909ad8def10bcee0b26d12fbb8bc29961caf419d1d33d0aa869d8f14739e3f1c op_cert_counter: 19