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 8488497 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86662047 epoch_slot_no: 89247 block_no: 8488320 slot_leader_id: 6588579 size: 44460 time: 2023-03-07 22:32:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3512eca742cde8d13437d89334ddcb5788b355e088dd854d28e6cf7eea49221eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cq8tqspjevr0ncan4e4ca8u4z6e882mkqmnnhfayexs6wmrpnfaskpgasl op_cert: \x15599b8faf06417599a1db1c286801c398bd12619aed7b8bff78fa6bc3152cba op_cert_counter: 7