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 8500871 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86913255 epoch_slot_no: 340455 block_no: 8500694 slot_leader_id: 5002519 size: 34282 time: 2023-03-10 20:19:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfaa8c04621562a7b0f09f4cb0f94de30a07b34b2afbb008d39e180f1bcc7515fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cl7drnpkkvd3ucqfh2k9pkq2s4tl3r67nq47u33lge2nt8e45c2s23y3t2 op_cert: \x32e80bc3880d1e8a02f74364eb2fd867dd7c8ee618d680a45d05311533885561 op_cert_counter: 11