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 8501837 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86933397 epoch_slot_no: 360597 block_no: 8501660 slot_leader_id: 5030962 size: 38128 time: 2023-03-11 01:54:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72e222ce29ccb08ce9cbadd6ebad73f054cdf9179b9eee8f24f4b6ee45ca5f8eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yu426l0g25r4zexgg244jpjjrhy5lat0rqk6cuknyyzkvylaaqksvmuz0e op_cert: \xebf3ff3b3e35ffa10e2bfefc80f051b4af344b41817e57fc28f1713066ce3c12 op_cert_counter: 11