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 8500823 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 86912440 epoch_slot_no: 339640 block_no: 8500646 slot_leader_id: 7750587 size: 29914 time: 2023-03-10 20:05:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbb3cf5d67a7dbddb9c7174200637e988e8e984ee349232068363cae7dca6f086Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dvges0k7z62x2694xp4zdxg3fqlv0ss5pwz80yq0dktkjmx6f2fsxqh4mj op_cert: \x547831097451da01a1f2e29d2e0222f9880c600f60fc614552a75d7adb617747 op_cert_counter: 3