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 8506874 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 87036672 epoch_slot_no: 31872 block_no: 8506697 slot_leader_id: 5263404 size: 18670 time: 2023-03-12 06:36:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x02a8cfbd17f4900f75caec2e7a94afa64fd8ae6b3f533c3038b9e384cb045dcdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cu9waer74yfxp29rlp947kyavq0r6ql2lruarlwlelg7hwc84xjs8s25gd op_cert: \x1f296b0d1fe7be1f18f69e4524487a210f5d771ea92c8dc749b65d4899b82e24 op_cert_counter: 8