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 8486978 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 86630997 epoch_slot_no: 58197 block_no: 8486801 slot_leader_id: 7417958 size: 14216 time: 2023-03-07 13:54:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcb9e9a38feb98293e8ae1be80a4512e0ec6d623b190b98e0b3c4e8e466f4b1cfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1swv7ywks25zc4slz28qmdxyg2rkvqrwa0u5cgrxqy2llkqfskvhssdvn6q op_cert: \xeebe275a0838a67b0e4a820e98738b236721fd4b41452b45736a6c9bbc2a0281 op_cert_counter: 5