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 8513461 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 87171846 epoch_slot_no: 167046 block_no: 8513284 slot_leader_id: 5449731 size: 67044 time: 2023-03-13 20:08:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xed6260a8c8481aa4b18fd441889e9b71b0bb2fb714727a0c16a5542ade01c8a4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mt5n3nu8z9q47t2dngdgfmp53gj0ptwnvv2uqxwxv9e4trkl3nzqt7nka2 op_cert: \xb819519428d07417283962945ef1a9fe9485d6ba8bad955bd4842d54c07a9197 op_cert_counter: 9