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 8505663 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 87012040 epoch_slot_no: 7240 block_no: 8505486 slot_leader_id: 4605544 size: 83905 time: 2023-03-11 23:45:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdf4d4cde92acdc2be80f9ebb08678238ef71cfd5bc6947980b689d04cd8bef1dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1phkelt7mecrq8as6vxxdtsyhhe57jc6g0ph9llt5red73kr2k0tswymgjs op_cert: \xb4d9a1c74820965c224df2a95e8fa68545f7a48d497367b79e1dac87c6cb1e06 op_cert_counter: 12