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 8520609 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 87319369 epoch_slot_no: 314569 block_no: 8520432 slot_leader_id: 4982656 size: 86592 time: 2023-03-15 13:07:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca285658152ff6a6083517d493a52c62756781d3200e193fadd8ab7ba1136711Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ecurxr8yy02jck3tsgkd02pr956hdt456grgjfg65pxxe8lz2vnqk4namr op_cert: \x0c64dbca763f2d9cde16efd85c239eebf89145efe276f50d505af72b90448cb8 op_cert_counter: 9