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 8488407 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86660142 epoch_slot_no: 87342 block_no: 8488230 slot_leader_id: 5424810 size: 22201 time: 2023-03-07 22:00:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x20660c047a1b677bd0f28e4913f4ba09ceac4d818a3a97078fd2e52faca0a72eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qagg9aqfyp266n2snz2p7x3f8nq9hfssyauzus9q0eu29d7nlras7v9zmk op_cert: \x80bcfdf7ce3e6073348dadea43dd56cd6104d9a8bb0d06b3dfee2d874d4b6c65 op_cert_counter: 11