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 8508698 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 87073229 epoch_slot_no: 68429 block_no: 8508521 slot_leader_id: 5959284 size: 11883 time: 2023-03-12 16:45:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x55d8145a796e25b1c6e4bc86ad4fdb2092ef29be9661b666fe864c6de0cdbecbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12t64tnt3x6d6zzscujducafrtvan0xsklvqk9dqsax8384x38desgtspln op_cert: \x2c5d2879101bc2afda604c23f69217e3d042159a673656e732c3c157603391b7 op_cert_counter: 6