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 8508739 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 87074111 epoch_slot_no: 69311 block_no: 8508562 slot_leader_id: 4556157 size: 16473 time: 2023-03-12 17:00:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x58ea493c85b57c4418534376f96fa4731d94ce431bcb3c10985cbb0965e7a3baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14sh5zmrke03tmsucrwuz5r0e7ehgva2q5dxq8e7wxqe3af2f7ezq8e47h6 op_cert: \x373db5391816d884e73f93aae851d75dcff8c974966d07e3ff3f7bb1128e264e op_cert_counter: 15