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 8509478 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87089127 epoch_slot_no: 84327 block_no: 8509301 slot_leader_id: 4571889 size: 30838 time: 2023-03-12 21:10:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7e174bdb6abae77e8d7855d0165fc97e03cc4c198ebbc578f80ee5c0e02ffa4dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10sfjs922rrnx85gj7c9hffpnp04azhrnnc9nghrdajtchl8r205q79ucp0 op_cert: \x0aec8f7f1156af110fa0e05796a8eae4b1cf1aae08913e4d4ac99c67e61b4654 op_cert_counter: 23