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 8500991 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86915547 epoch_slot_no: 342747 block_no: 8500814 slot_leader_id: 5868201 size: 57168 time: 2023-03-10 20:57:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd936228359a7a912191303fff50e6beab1ffa1dcab87d67736b3184ad5686baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19xnjyq5ftzj3hs5tjdlfph6vhfa29jg9dvqs85kl3uzwfd7q8u6q9khcag op_cert: \x4f8732a94e378b63ce7412edaffe3c07841c4efd12df8ab2ce251b47e2b74527 op_cert_counter: 7