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 8514601 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 87195660 epoch_slot_no: 190860 block_no: 8514424 slot_leader_id: 4597776 size: 26182 time: 2023-03-14 02:45:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe4a99c5417df983ace3985e43ce3a8387c7f639a2e246ee62a37fc8ea1b207e8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12yhs6pf5krcnnaedcvex2puny3eda8p9n349ug3rlxf8y63pph9swqv8x5 op_cert: \x53f3ac137aa3afcf44ab9e7fc5087e364bf2be51bda0eb38f1b5a4d0ec4ca45c op_cert_counter: 11