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 8488518 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 86662520 epoch_slot_no: 89720 block_no: 8488341 slot_leader_id: 5256580 size: 1273 time: 2023-03-07 22:40:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb8e7a9574bcf0480f79fdceee7ebb045c2a11d5c9521de55aa957570e8e15204Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1043fn5s35lt23pwcy9yvh83af9nptm4jtyzt2cx3epzf8cd2jylstv3vnd op_cert: \x7931cc0ff04ac567c2b555ea790de55b21188734f65383136e138cec908b0739 op_cert_counter: 14