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 8505678 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 87012463 epoch_slot_no: 7663 block_no: 8505501 slot_leader_id: 4568166 size: 65105 time: 2023-03-11 23:52:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa33806e3a55cec15dee30a49ff771da613cda30b3329ce45340f2c84a5b173e5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x23fpnnfh69ps2hvyszr7rd478s5gjkx7lh0epv7rdutuurtlr9q08qzt3 op_cert: \x7da5d077687f289cccc8d40f94324c0b3c3bc47b5b010dfcb9422c821f4d2fe2 op_cert_counter: 19