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 8488549 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 86663088 epoch_slot_no: 90288 block_no: 8488372 slot_leader_id: 5873516 size: 12373 time: 2023-03-07 22:49:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x314d683e2b44c96770a607cda98387abbac88fbc24c474557326c88fe90a651aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17nk9vcmu2aqr6d6frzgg7umnd9eldemm6fye8warl47cnw7fkx5sjvxfmh op_cert: \x5e758c19534db36bcc694b24935abf7c8e7647c0ed3697041c5058909e1769fa op_cert_counter: 13