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 8486493 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 86621210 epoch_slot_no: 48410 block_no: 8486316 slot_leader_id: 7046709 size: 47898 time: 2023-03-07 11:11:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66a9cfef08c7bd9e42727bfe7c3f4b410047b4d9025865e9de730c29e23ea26eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t2je7nrf6w7fp5gqvymrp5eswfnm67ahw75n762svyct57r54ukq8dkhag op_cert: \xa0bf6b096e4d1ebf6aee10f57f29848c12e62f2d332933f126adb57c933c179b op_cert_counter: 1659973467