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 8460998 Details
Epoch: 396 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86098432 epoch_slot_no: 389632 block_no: 8460821 slot_leader_id: 4555645 size: 33733 time: 2023-03-01 09:58:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x08318f4df03e1a4bf4e3db60434fd1df3f6acc82ea70540124a3b5eb2d5d426fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18mvldxxw5k9gd9a8dznc63ez4x80mpdkz6l0wrm6y430p22nvfqq62u7ty op_cert: \xa619df6e91bae30bc30b33b706ca6a45b3634a874dab592c3b1cf6d3b8e4bdf3 op_cert_counter: 14