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 8505505 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 87009040 epoch_slot_no: 4240 block_no: 8505328 slot_leader_id: 5352761 size: 71864 time: 2023-03-11 22:55:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcb888b6e090f070872839be3cd375e01326fccf7773053a34c21a7cfe4c26ea0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f6za0myhypasnpld367u30wwz9eu5n242szqyq0m2j74nyuvuy8sgtyp39 op_cert: \x7c2e91eecc63b85b756f6a9b5cab7dcc21e132bbd0a46b0311437f0718f4389b op_cert_counter: 11