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 8503686 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 86970881 epoch_slot_no: 398081 block_no: 8503509 slot_leader_id: 6802730 size: 61692 time: 2023-03-11 12:19:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5bceda4c9f5b756318a7979d93413d760eeac39865e55972fd161b96f6257481Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fnqwsjkh52r2z036avwvwwvkajhy9mnafnhd45qeagfvyur83y8sfjcmla op_cert: \xa9d6a0ee344680597d1708f8a7d6b6b85b0f127ff04c8d4f3e91b0a850bea038 op_cert_counter: 6