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 8521699 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 87341570 epoch_slot_no: 336770 block_no: 8521522 slot_leader_id: 7750587 size: 84605 time: 2023-03-15 19:17:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x57402772ea1c7d33ce4ec5ad9268fa380029d6ecc73c5a3ca90f676b4cd345bfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dvges0k7z62x2694xp4zdxg3fqlv0ss5pwz80yq0dktkjmx6f2fsxqh4mj op_cert: \x547831097451da01a1f2e29d2e0222f9880c600f60fc614552a75d7adb617747 op_cert_counter: 3