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 8504046 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86977918 epoch_slot_no: 405118 block_no: 8503869 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 39828 time: 2023-03-11 14:16:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x09b6bb51352dea316ac4564ba9ae969cf751f43d0b3e4ba9878a6544dcc011f4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \x67415295349d6fea66618a6bd1674a5e078ce168d6a9bdff86aaf2977714a7f9 op_cert_counter: 17