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 8503674 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 86970665 epoch_slot_no: 397865 block_no: 8503497 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 86799 time: 2023-03-11 12:15:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1ac7511bfd1ab2e01c6c50d93b9a8a698c6411710f31d404ab65a3c697623c53Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \xfa3b48fae329a9c4f4d39adc725e11f1beef750bdd8d02e27f1b8f27f3c51af1 op_cert_counter: 13