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 8504421 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 86985075 epoch_slot_no: 412275 block_no: 8504244 slot_leader_id: 4610095 size: 42545 time: 2023-03-11 16:16:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4e42e05bd5c0dd090eed5352180671a33e68e244a7c0d66aa81a549a95aeb570Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ck95076g64jmctmgsyszdpgjcj9dcdjw0udu7qyjxmsstvpenf4qjpjtpk op_cert: \x577c7cb2d0ff85f26548319ef56356640a96a8e1f084577e0da625e0bc03ba38 op_cert_counter: 12