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 8508608 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 87071760 epoch_slot_no: 66960 block_no: 8508431 slot_leader_id: 7616077 size: 16210 time: 2023-03-12 16:20:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xee34b7462f0c595e97eb27894c925cb75d41f767e083b1098c2f2a7cfa3fa5adBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ldmtx80uxgzw2awafcq7k7pcz0yzgrzqcf238358xacn8qmdwdqdawnfz op_cert: \xe46a358b4af979b0ea998440f032feaa58fc8221b40492fb3ad4b7e2fcd5f7ab op_cert_counter: 2