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 8521740 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 87342511 epoch_slot_no: 337711 block_no: 8521563 slot_leader_id: 7376848 size: 48059 time: 2023-03-15 19:33:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7b96980f5c580091f71807e9cd15cd1581c22fe7aa8ca5989bd34c3562ebf8ffBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wvgsal8szs0drj58qp53g0kket0gsme990l76t4pkyc3gaj6ckhsalx58h op_cert: \x538b31fd10488ffe406cfdbe91b6c7783e1c0b295a22769c882faceeab37d118 op_cert_counter: 1659975478