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 8516704 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 87239921 epoch_slot_no: 235121 block_no: 8516527 slot_leader_id: 4595854 size: 31585 time: 2023-03-14 15:03:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6780c6b8cdd12c55ef53ec0236a21a1e8ba7ab31a244ff8e2ad86d444b7fc70eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n4ml366004vvzm25cutqk0x2jpftcxtf29kdmazvgzueal5wztyslf05tq op_cert: \xb7df862e5957cd52cb6f0a9379223a37416326de097d82d073ea4cf457155345 op_cert_counter: 12