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 8501666 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86929683 epoch_slot_no: 356883 block_no: 8501489 slot_leader_id: 4595854 size: 20440 time: 2023-03-11 00:52:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x685be4cdd79d013c78b3e639d255d9d9525efa636c43a4e1651c30fbef08d25eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n4ml366004vvzm25cutqk0x2jpftcxtf29kdmazvgzueal5wztyslf05tq op_cert: \xb7df862e5957cd52cb6f0a9379223a37416326de097d82d073ea4cf457155345 op_cert_counter: 12