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 8509357 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 87086738 epoch_slot_no: 81938 block_no: 8509180 slot_leader_id: 4555520 size: 2881 time: 2023-03-12 20:30:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x85f39f92910ab5388f86c17ed572f90d542c4010224d98a38c98d21a1d45fb9dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w7d6wrmwnmv967fwczseale2mp9d8e977mfc8x0gc3um7nadj9fqvkecw6 op_cert: \xe62b0a91f979a1c17321930ba3e70bfaf2176a818207c3357f3bda934cbc3e68 op_cert_counter: 17