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 8488340 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 86658550 epoch_slot_no: 85750 block_no: 8488163 slot_leader_id: 5051928 size: 81897 time: 2023-03-07 21:34:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7eb3875cef8517e71fc1e70f2001f5a07814964a658160bff20ea4b547a6ad8fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dv6d47qc6w8z4x8p2mmmqexd3khw6pt083r2jn6ztxckkcy9y6hqszrgpv op_cert: \x83ba3a63f69ecd277c634a4d292e865416616896bd511fb8f705b492688993ec op_cert_counter: 12