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 8503444 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 86965963 epoch_slot_no: 393163 block_no: 8503267 slot_leader_id: 4555972 size: 16446 time: 2023-03-11 10:57:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1e657595b9ccd7ece14d101926a398b057e102dc1083d76a496a849ff4cb3341Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d0djffha6pa0fk44jsugyh8ew7lmmarr2k6m2xxe5qgl97ztjlyqdk5lmx op_cert: \xd5bdc0e70a4a37684646c8832a3714e9be76faa242e49dc97ec484b3f84f5fa4 op_cert_counter: 11