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 8505059 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86998436 epoch_slot_no: 425636 block_no: 8504882 slot_leader_id: 5218645 size: 41360 time: 2023-03-11 19:58:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc503096f4b87c1cc8598886ab773b62beafd19cb924235b6cac2a10a15a01e22Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cr3fmmh5vxgca4c7yg662zryxt9uuvnj98ldj2lqa5w56fq2dqqqpje9yj op_cert: \x713afa11d5354dfb1c106191b942cc873ab047938a4a016c2c8e8b8694e09971 op_cert_counter: 11