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 8486517 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 86621726 epoch_slot_no: 48926 block_no: 8486340 slot_leader_id: 4555824 size: 70217 time: 2023-03-07 11:20:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x97862cbdf651187776acca54f81de19cafde51fc7c37c14f2e9f226e89b0894cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wfgru6h86c74e9flucrzupv9f4c4fxq9tvv54rs942vk6hlztu0qcfrpfp op_cert: \x49353eb1b2a3efd77b58753c478690798b7dce5d5e12c7096e882deeaec00c4f op_cert_counter: 14