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 8503881 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 86974716 epoch_slot_no: 401916 block_no: 8503704 slot_leader_id: 5086889 size: 88459 time: 2023-03-11 13:23:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc7b1ec7e6c6c30e5081fe8330b12655594eb5e3903bff6e065515c25e7b2c83aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uelwdw7x8q27x333s9yjkfx2k8hay0y4w4nqt2g8v9vrlwh2v7nq084cs5 op_cert: \xdb26c5ad4d19e8f7ce3991bc671a971e597d2760cc10bd8c2746ac1eafa93376 op_cert_counter: 10