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 8488503 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86662209 epoch_slot_no: 89409 block_no: 8488326 slot_leader_id: 4570659 size: 33916 time: 2023-03-07 22:35:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf105d9cd16b5641b34860fb2be438fb78a04351281136179b7485468e1869bfaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qmyw2hyfh8jvgqcfe9kuwjz5506g0z4hamq29x7t8g2rr7cez0zsnrs793 op_cert: \x1a0f1a641862e2a7cccf8668ac26a79860dac0403a326d9410d4a358c4f8ff5a op_cert_counter: 14