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 8504846 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 86993597 epoch_slot_no: 420797 block_no: 8504669 slot_leader_id: 5449686 size: 85862 time: 2023-03-11 18:38:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb5bbd8e11a99537dd510fe69792257b5ea33f2c9eda1e8975fabb2b5436e7b52Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gj7umwg80u3y9cl28zu9gcp4r9c55s7w3qpq2lmyxdcvgkduq0hsqvk505 op_cert: \x2b6ea292b70f5721fe48a4aac09dda5ce0b50ba1c8654787f8662c0493cd2af7 op_cert_counter: 9