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 8501698 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 86930328 epoch_slot_no: 357528 block_no: 8501521 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 263 time: 2023-03-11 01:03:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe4a59dc90a1f8bdf0a42a66b19b368d3f616b5a6663cd913cd2d8b9073f07a3bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \xfe1ef254af803bb8b8f36fc2f36627e19d449140024f70dca67afbb706b69e41 op_cert_counter: 14