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 8488359 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86659036 epoch_slot_no: 86236 block_no: 8488182 slot_leader_id: 5680671 size: 14631 time: 2023-03-07 21:42:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc7cf587e1947fa37e547c289886a390ed1d4f0e3424f6e52f112aa7fdfac4a80Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1um6d02g99m807nqvkk7zl5e646y9z2hghftk720xfqpeuv4yuwyqxuhhfd op_cert: \xc84e3a30b7920ea25d63564bea04f2fb78dd283f0c6c69b0ec848c14e2e6a858 op_cert_counter: 8