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 8526494 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 43 slot_no: 87440688 epoch_slot_no: 3888 block_no: 8526317 slot_leader_id: 4560858 size: 76921 time: 2023-03-16 22:49:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x036998c0cfe4b1f9eddd69491a150fa9dc8e74ed0c42019b167c9d76764ab81aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mrwwxpf2pdsu4es46gu7rjy82fntc0538p8a7vuhrmu2ddxn68kqstj6y3 op_cert: \x2f0d203930373bd949f96a24c3d810c6f9e01ff695ac9c5ba8b293bb4be77434 op_cert_counter: 11