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 8517398 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 87253846 epoch_slot_no: 249046 block_no: 8517221 slot_leader_id: 4624978 size: 7211 time: 2023-03-14 18:55:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xef98055df644fb44da353906f7de92a59e0efdded5b53c88d38badcd142aaeabBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16un5trthq4l4fkfk076vcknwz9y4ftnqfzhwdz7u5rjwqay4c74q72h8lh op_cert: \x233c6c9ce08b9993b2a705228a7574d942a9cd6f34e95269ebc9f66ae46e29d5 op_cert_counter: 12