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 8488608 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 86664306 epoch_slot_no: 91506 block_no: 8488431 slot_leader_id: 4556282 size: 88394 time: 2023-03-07 23:09:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb7c1972f3066fe2a9afdbc3028bc82d43647055768af334fa791d832a8a4babbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lxm70e5gdamldz2gjdpcaw85e25vwr06qejhahlu05h3ach92fuqfxuj7h op_cert: \xeb0072b5050ca63c66380e9ba0dee5cc5d51c853dd2658712049e74ce946e552 op_cert_counter: 17