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 8503818 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86973607 epoch_slot_no: 400807 block_no: 8503641 slot_leader_id: 5959104 size: 6899 time: 2023-03-11 13:04:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7a995a1a08bd3dc6a1f34804d944268ca23785a4cc0a27a371f2dfbb5831fd44Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1msgxq9lg9jm35rru6lnngqhplytpsrjt6mdy7gyy9uvkrdapqk5qkse4sg op_cert: \x32c355d483194763fd32feac9beb5b9afe4aec103752e7405c65f34769dc9574 op_cert_counter: 6