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 8500864 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86913123 epoch_slot_no: 340323 block_no: 8500687 slot_leader_id: 5882320 size: 20001 time: 2023-03-10 20:16:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x17a123403b6233180caeef207df41185ddbff0b0fb58281ae8658ecc191646f5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12lkwxr0ytxmt6f6mfgzcke9lcwtcg4q0nz8hpp0yvvvfx4vt745sew6t42 op_cert: \x513a104adb314646a78fbb7bfc275f6d3166edc29be67501b2d2c9cd0e61dec6 op_cert_counter: 8