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 8502540 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 86947479 epoch_slot_no: 374679 block_no: 8502363 slot_leader_id: 5046607 size: 10796 time: 2023-03-11 05:49:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf71d6ac35b6739345791e51cdb750fd9a89fbff533ed2e58326ffc3506232ecaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ngghyylmk529sf6unkf3v7qq2l9flr4yqpz99gnv25spm9xwyymsslfy77 op_cert: \xb4d3f9967fd50d7d192fbc130225d14684d7642baa9772285ecb655c646f6922 op_cert_counter: 10