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 8503794 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86972972 epoch_slot_no: 400172 block_no: 8503617 slot_leader_id: 4764127 size: 46373 time: 2023-03-11 12:54:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd6c2df2822a392c6231743a3d78d34dbfb97933e09a93d26ebb5fbae57b59baeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gm2gudv2pztta3n5fq4uf2t98fhwc06tq8guz89l9t9a9xyuplzszgq6vw op_cert: \xb536ad70991888f997dc16a96b607ecd9693f199332539286f1023edae44e828 op_cert_counter: 11