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 8502395 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86944915 epoch_slot_no: 372115 block_no: 8502218 slot_leader_id: 4555843 size: 25679 time: 2023-03-11 05:06:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe0a4937e47c8dc60559202d7448bd8c25c5c8d66c2e2cfba0f2799b440a25e7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m30knv6sdact0jva87yqstj64dl4udz07zksjr4zd8s77sza6f3qfxsn07 op_cert: \xc819c2177f8aea0255f1fa9974011d6984228ebaf4fd162151e58747b3836592 op_cert_counter: 11