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 8504621 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86989136 epoch_slot_no: 416336 block_no: 8504444 slot_leader_id: 5680800 size: 7490 time: 2023-03-11 17:23:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e78af35fc77161b3c8160a80311d773f4da8e92a5dfae1b502e22aac788d2faBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18fwzp8r325gtweujfjfak6tejjsst8yqg3txwlq39sal0adjtggsj3sqq7 op_cert: \x199631a1d1a37ad3e08b71036535094408b317ba8aa1d617d128128f972e125b op_cert_counter: 9