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 8486862 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86628974 epoch_slot_no: 56174 block_no: 8486685 slot_leader_id: 5904986 size: 51871 time: 2023-03-07 13:21:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9d787b048b8b64772575169425d2c5955e39899642a3f6f56c849313a9d4a77fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1anrqmtdj6e6cyq8l0jq3wka2hcwp3sq0tc9a5w6ccnjt05yterestd02xj op_cert: \xbdaffb79eafe1a1b7e66edda191688eca0be472fc8f20473ce6d3660481a8e17 op_cert_counter: 11