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 8518662 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 87279357 epoch_slot_no: 274557 block_no: 8518485 slot_leader_id: 5080696 size: 4565 time: 2023-03-15 02:00:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb3080ae2242464c527cc5c6f9937a1ed0a5bfad65591f01ceab4b45b96d847d9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18s6zlh303m8q4cs2rh9mk2akd79jzufrngmjexmqryl4j5q88mjsmjtgke op_cert: \xe9da9c718919d6ad6324a1230735f87e2c96e55b129fc0a6d0b797344ee364e3 op_cert_counter: 9