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 8503663 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 86970305 epoch_slot_no: 397505 block_no: 8503486 slot_leader_id: 5449731 size: 42512 time: 2023-03-11 12:09:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfc53f818a27050cfa11ce4b7e45ca38ac9dff5cd99ac03ce9448fddb2881d13eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mt5n3nu8z9q47t2dngdgfmp53gj0ptwnvv2uqxwxv9e4trkl3nzqt7nka2 op_cert: \xb819519428d07417283962945ef1a9fe9485d6ba8bad955bd4842d54c07a9197 op_cert_counter: 9