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 8449498 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 85864669 epoch_slot_no: 155869 block_no: 8449321 slot_leader_id: 5325312 size: 13739 time: 2023-02-26 17:02:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x09eb7fc5392ac7820b476d1e641466a0e368b17272a36d36400955fcb12c9ff4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17q864ymqe86huvxdsz5lnemkzjpvv6rwy0qtw4v3ldzz4ra2qh2qr2dcjg op_cert: \x5d651473674834e6eba4c64c311762d82989cf8baaec808948e6c24fc7900f81 op_cert_counter: 12