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 8513217 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 87166699 epoch_slot_no: 161899 block_no: 8513040 slot_leader_id: 4581588 size: 6971 time: 2023-03-13 18:43:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52a8c6643cefdd67265a93e7a5efcfcfd8d9fdd20fbab76235269e7a21919fb0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m5tnjq3exhpu8mfcy6rl5xe5jedd8adzx6n5syju3vj8p5yhfels900hls op_cert: \x54a2c60ff6d48ad1a2ec281feb03ccc838cd543028b508076386c5f585520eb8 op_cert_counter: 12