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 8500717 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 86910380 epoch_slot_no: 337580 block_no: 8500540 slot_leader_id: 5279179 size: 58305 time: 2023-03-10 19:31:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0284ff37ddd5d7fa7e6dbf3e95f6d325aa9e393be6c60b6466783f0dc8b3e9d3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16zch8u2wat0s425f6fedff7m5a68jhsjj56cazvks3kd46tgfhmq7wklph op_cert: \x9e84d3e3445f902962a861dfb22f40bcf394ab9dec5a1f8c6637b6b07f162e2d op_cert_counter: 10