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 8518718 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 87280318 epoch_slot_no: 275518 block_no: 8518541 slot_leader_id: 4556710 size: 431 time: 2023-03-15 02:16:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66017f29c3ac3cd67604769e9ddcb15c959c73eea39b038bf5e71ffdb77d953aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w7hp0pzn78w05cu8d66tfzvr3yy8qua60vera0epcxnj47hsmw4qzzg85v op_cert: \xc74b2f7481750d2eed0f43a8050092bc1dcc55574dd6a603745824b776be489a op_cert_counter: 15