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 8502126 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86939565 epoch_slot_no: 366765 block_no: 8501949 slot_leader_id: 4581221 size: 5138 time: 2023-03-11 03:37:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9bb8a583c47d19aa2cb5e2043a448c84960fa5e463ff8aa4fd19c1e1716f310dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mqmks9nnl8er83vfpzcdfnw59azlsnmghwcv3umg2uh9g83u58uqnrtmn2 op_cert: \x4be302d2ab1a5656aaccd03a9cc92abff4aea347d5cf46a7a84cc3bec30b2df3 op_cert_counter: 11