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 8508821 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 87075786 epoch_slot_no: 70986 block_no: 8508644 slot_leader_id: 4559781 size: 24567 time: 2023-03-12 17:27:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x977970682a9b586ea660b4b2a53dcecb5900352401846262bae3bb96910b9ba4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mepfv252axgj9nhhqpn4kp0qxkmu8pu0hkgj43aq6whk2vrmp2qse6tsnf op_cert: \xd5c398ce35a0cb8cd8fa29e6ff3fbc51482d2748810f7506621d6b850aefeba3 op_cert_counter: 12