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 8502419 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86945361 epoch_slot_no: 372561 block_no: 8502242 slot_leader_id: 4556700 size: 18419 time: 2023-03-11 05:14:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x981536f67ea71bc49503a6bf9ca72d48af1ff0d9b5e78066c9aad94257ecbdbdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13h3fs42athsy0qxwg99u9uge7m0ul973exll0ga0g9uhwp3yfssshn9m34 op_cert: \x95cb59fbf35247c3dbc112d349bae45b8811f2c7eaf151edf8ebceb258abf2ad op_cert_counter: 13