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 8521997 Details
Epoch: 399 Number of transactions in block: 43 slot_no: 87347851 epoch_slot_no: 343051 block_no: 8521820 slot_leader_id: 8110381 size: 87515 time: 2023-03-15 21:02:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb285dcd959a56a537fe8d0ba59ce3249f19c902f288d453edd584de5f6efe7aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18wfyh8j43njqx4vuphzaq3cyhevs00p6nea94p4lv9f72xyhmzhqzrp930 op_cert: \x90775e421edc74147fd37df566a128673762290a25699ac1a35b9e943952787f op_cert_counter: 1