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 8501743 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 86931485 epoch_slot_no: 358685 block_no: 8501566 slot_leader_id: 5493217 size: 13863 time: 2023-03-11 01:22:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8a970bbfd2b3fad461299c0f3f0d661238d5e09be3825071dbfbda1b05a2f8bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cakf4klps5d980wm8657zsmnen8rcwvka0nn3ug0eg0fj2ym4chqvn04ed op_cert: \x09afdfd76092ebd5275cb0b2b2caf273cb762f51d1fafd368004f516228eb6fe op_cert_counter: 8