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 8504604 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86988838 epoch_slot_no: 416038 block_no: 8504427 slot_leader_id: 7581727 size: 30461 time: 2023-03-11 17:18:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf454af2c17ce4ef1f6b61853374a0231ef229cd01029a9d0a887adba6188376fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18stcjdcu588hsmyhcpjq98vqwmw9ry3gamvyldv6rdwv75gfxflq82dh27 op_cert: \x2356060372bdc342523fd9eb59c8f75880c83b4626c8b47be9bb00b3c7fcbecf op_cert_counter: 3