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 8518256 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 87271299 epoch_slot_no: 266499 block_no: 8518079 slot_leader_id: 5152538 size: 31086 time: 2023-03-14 23:46:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1baf56f8dac4ebf1aeef7658861118a5313b5f0cfb574bf54599c2f70b69f3eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18xvx22uq44j6kaqanutf5wm9gtp7tcv7aztz2505pjlrrpfdygqqz7fh8r op_cert: \x28fb423591b9b47372da310de2e7df73b0174dbf5ba9eb2b3d2d5da947b21cbb op_cert_counter: 13