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 8502488 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 86946551 epoch_slot_no: 373751 block_no: 8502311 slot_leader_id: 7920586 size: 4689 time: 2023-03-11 05:34:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x498bded7dcdefff61652f0a71368c493e67beb76a002383a5b7f0463ba499eb4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wzw22vfhx43966dqmek46wmjd5clwc8pacsqztlzu8g3z7fv3ayqkc8e3r op_cert: \x0f31426917f2bbec8a278dad11e600ab366a29d43bfc8ba730ad541412ed3a03 op_cert_counter: 5