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 8488495 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86661979 epoch_slot_no: 89179 block_no: 8488318 slot_leader_id: 5654655 size: 18688 time: 2023-03-07 22:31:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x05b3a5ce55fb32fd29c68dd2d73e7c7bf90fffc1b7ab7c6c2a5bcbe7788318e1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk142y6ecmguf962h8zml32wedcxh95e2c7wp3jfhnmjmrun8sy3m6q27rlqf op_cert: \xe432474ff6bcab6bca0a61f6b64e77ff310e94791e5c7cb571c4a4cff50dc0ce op_cert_counter: 8