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 8503638 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 51 slot_no: 86969683 epoch_slot_no: 396883 block_no: 8503461 slot_leader_id: 5066920 size: 71538 time: 2023-03-11 11:59:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x693f62377da85d9c6effcac650fd8e581183c4bab73f2daf7328fbc41e600fcbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1veze9zl7jypnll73uqkq7kaxgpkwp2hr5lv5cvkh4p52zdz0u34s86fjp9 op_cert: \xa57edea244ea9c143ad94fd4a416853b162ebc24a8dbff59319c615e0c0b7729 op_cert_counter: 13