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 8500966 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86914871 epoch_slot_no: 342071 block_no: 8500789 slot_leader_id: 4560450 size: 23212 time: 2023-03-10 20:46:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xacc387a2dd683ba63de3ecf30fca473a43084ab81ebc5b4ec398d2f84e21c92dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sdzq7nyjfgrlg39xdda7ch84agcj92dcj59vvd0thc3azmhcnausr6ed5g op_cert: \xaf93401ff0bc90631de890df4f4b5ec26ff0d9574cf68ae467dec2029380aeeb op_cert_counter: 17