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 8516658 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 87238947 epoch_slot_no: 234147 block_no: 8516481 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 14910 time: 2023-03-14 14:47:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x215b497e6fd889ce319acb7fc6fbfee1951ad365d810a4d51adddb7e1ac0b8ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \x67415295349d6fea66618a6bd1674a5e078ce168d6a9bdff86aaf2977714a7f9 op_cert_counter: 17