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 8502686 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 28 slot_no: 86950320 epoch_slot_no: 377520 block_no: 8502509 slot_leader_id: 4556282 size: 32961 time: 2023-03-11 06:36:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x29ce7f476290ed18b5220854ce959fe576b2b987dd686a1bc4dc92c0901a690aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lxm70e5gdamldz2gjdpcaw85e25vwr06qejhahlu05h3ach92fuqfxuj7h op_cert: \xeb0072b5050ca63c66380e9ba0dee5cc5d51c853dd2658712049e74ce946e552 op_cert_counter: 17