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 8509678 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 87093436 epoch_slot_no: 88636 block_no: 8509501 slot_leader_id: 4560450 size: 86527 time: 2023-03-12 22:22:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcc67f981313aa1271b13bb58d5d035ca42c23922412935b504000e1d669b73f1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sdzq7nyjfgrlg39xdda7ch84agcj92dcj59vvd0thc3azmhcnausr6ed5g op_cert: \xaf93401ff0bc90631de890df4f4b5ec26ff0d9574cf68ae467dec2029380aeeb op_cert_counter: 17