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 8501726 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86931146 epoch_slot_no: 358346 block_no: 8501549 slot_leader_id: 4585961 size: 31196 time: 2023-03-11 01:17:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x86c0511ac29f0ac0fea330b27a9ab359ca7cb24ed14039d40f426eb77451c44bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17hryzec3zjkds8d4k5xnkk7e76j8varatq0cf85l9r3fsskxwgxqzzyqcz op_cert: \x1e7ab33a349be38138dc6f65ee5ce15e30dbe68392186bf8ca401ffcd38a0a80 op_cert_counter: 14