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 8503863 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86974413 epoch_slot_no: 401613 block_no: 8503686 slot_leader_id: 6148506 size: 60086 time: 2023-03-11 13:18:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x27c88df2cabcae9e0c961eb624adaa3c664d00a39d3440829caaca4f315dae13Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dlc4rpauah4xe5mklx0lneltd6tsjkllnta7pmv3a8qscg9fegus7n53st op_cert: \xb9e2cf626583fd7df9e3e44bb448c4325831f0733c653d227db0ca4c4a5b1967 op_cert_counter: 12