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 8513243 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 87167185 epoch_slot_no: 162385 block_no: 8513066 slot_leader_id: 4590524 size: 24846 time: 2023-03-13 18:51:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa7dde017c98224d5046031c343f4a5eea922c29f17b7c40acf085872572d815aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n4yvnz9sd7el59ajuqtay5cerpm0awzg0lyqxcdm6yw2uewl2e9qzqdvr6 op_cert: \x39992d38a93470052f9068e1e1712f6caaaa7ff86d922c6111460f539f4fc2bc op_cert_counter: 12