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 8521491 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 87337670 epoch_slot_no: 332870 block_no: 8521314 slot_leader_id: 5242693 size: 14642 time: 2023-03-15 18:12:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8e78d576c7bd36d15fa52ccb0d37277f4414cb5b966f80a23bd7b84e1a3f162eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12p22qhv56fn8fremggehy6fcm7rux36sxmmjqgh0e7jxla4z6acsmw2ndt op_cert: \x3fd338a8a0a3498db14b8cbfb3e7c3429545a0ed89c78468d929826c1a7d47c3 op_cert_counter: 13