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 8503311 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 86963307 epoch_slot_no: 390507 block_no: 8503134 slot_leader_id: 5053834 size: 43642 time: 2023-03-11 10:13:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x440b3974bdf073d6ed71bdd3f5790a219f1ec751aca73229b796bd3cc9d665a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ynv3nggu0wcaghs8rcp9vtklh4e943783fcz7ts47c27lup49yaqhh4kkn op_cert: \x63a33900bc4155e4a8baa488721893c6452a1d97eb5bf07b1f2fd22fc5b87388 op_cert_counter: 8