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 8503897 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86974956 epoch_slot_no: 402156 block_no: 8503720 slot_leader_id: 6447436 size: 35315 time: 2023-03-11 13:27:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd338992f9662e305eb98c7ef4ef5a46e95701d0e4d857adf407834375f0bf45aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tr5lu7scqtdfdehvvt4kf7t9pewysl7wflzh9xs78fyd3p3vp9ksqg9gvm op_cert: \x0cff4114b440f7aaad83edede5b3e88a9501dea6736d8eb9e0784767c49ac332 op_cert_counter: 7