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 8501994 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86936754 epoch_slot_no: 363954 block_no: 8501817 slot_leader_id: 5680800 size: 37382 time: 2023-03-11 02:50:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6ac6e43cc2ac0ab3ca34722f34ba9287a44966a70e162a85681fdaa3182f11a0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18fwzp8r325gtweujfjfak6tejjsst8yqg3txwlq39sal0adjtggsj3sqq7 op_cert: \x199631a1d1a37ad3e08b71036535094408b317ba8aa1d617d128128f972e125b op_cert_counter: 9