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 8486516 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86621695 epoch_slot_no: 48895 block_no: 8486339 slot_leader_id: 5449692 size: 4176 time: 2023-03-07 11:19:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x190e8a01ae9fe37ee8efa7947e66a35ed911ef8f2feb527500f7ef24a1aae92bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ufvjy4ypv9fh6pcuqcjue2tcu3r93z8z9yz6gw5eyvfa8rxuxeesu5ersl op_cert: \xfe6515b307ffbbaed0892884989776622090f857a003a77d326715e7d2e36492 op_cert_counter: 9