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 8505038 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 86997931 epoch_slot_no: 425131 block_no: 8504861 slot_leader_id: 6447359 size: 35093 time: 2023-03-11 19:50:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x963c852e188c1ced01c28e925ed1c725b3ec1147ff109998b96a7d8a89592f4dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ufkxe2rwywsmmks6ldvqu6yw6efxz08spz5mv39f6ve9w7ss447qn23fsm op_cert: \xe9431613b866d8755d9e98bfb0a2b29f2cfd38e92de6dc304ff45b47a3bab704 op_cert_counter: 9