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 8508436 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 87068274 epoch_slot_no: 63474 block_no: 8508259 slot_leader_id: 5999285 size: 48039 time: 2023-03-12 15:22:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaddbde34d716c6c942bfcbcef20748f2acb8a7824d08158bd7c08dfb6f1e525fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dy7uln973y89gn0gxefd357upc0rpsreldq7ukja28rf8ww9jd4qt4zjh6 op_cert: \x0bd6cdf885ede5c0e6819457ba8a6909674c92cf6744b4f6d052fcbccbba399d op_cert_counter: 9