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 8503643 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 86969759 epoch_slot_no: 396959 block_no: 8503466 slot_leader_id: 5003808 size: 36725 time: 2023-03-11 12:00:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4bb8fb720d6efd99a049db9163b44d075b65ef9d4c959be654ea06c5c64b265aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk143s9r24ek68k3pchwj6ene5h5sq2nqek5gc8tkueych36h3g69aq8pergs op_cert: \x74315f1be9966e2ed5cd5abd38f8a1b7042731a3de58a93d645b51b0de8fcee3 op_cert_counter: 13