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 8517436 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 87254531 epoch_slot_no: 249731 block_no: 8517259 slot_leader_id: 5428364 size: 88576 time: 2023-03-14 19:07:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5351f0123e454fa104f450724b112bb6333a2ae545ab579ca9c40b6ba779963cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13jfew8as9lgnz8hmdl5e0pck6jq876ptddrymjm5ajs2n5atkuqqs9x0j2 op_cert: \xb29ebe0962406a0d713be7f4133a897bd27275fdd0611a05f7dc8b02980a6483 op_cert_counter: 10