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 8526617 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 87443081 epoch_slot_no: 6281 block_no: 8526440 slot_leader_id: 7376579 size: 88194 time: 2023-03-16 23:29:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x939fe81ff9fa230e5d36cd09b12529b222e1c59569a9007f6124eeabd788f35eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jrnkv44tm0xxpt63tflypqpfaja4e35zl6g249n9uk4pyp5nj8ast3rj04 op_cert: \xf12e96d020c023c16f34a7f2a9a0971dd9654374a2a628700fb2e9041cea0e04 op_cert_counter: 1659975396