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 8488234 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86656403 epoch_slot_no: 83603 block_no: 8488057 slot_leader_id: 5086889 size: 30764 time: 2023-03-07 20:58:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x162d406ffbd7bcbeddb39bde6ee2822a0d0c9820489528a75ea364cbf0aea30dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uelwdw7x8q27x333s9yjkfx2k8hay0y4w4nqt2g8v9vrlwh2v7nq084cs5 op_cert: \xdb26c5ad4d19e8f7ce3991bc671a971e597d2760cc10bd8c2746ac1eafa93376 op_cert_counter: 10