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 8488624 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86664546 epoch_slot_no: 91746 block_no: 8488447 slot_leader_id: 4555723 size: 45313 time: 2023-03-07 23:13:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x36c1462a5f8cd8bf86dc0d3031eaa178f023dba8ed3cf3da0957a6874bd0d2aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ur9wp2srefjdzexfqnpvxaqe20ltra9z6pqwd9la20zasstztueqvc3eu0 op_cert: \x095f1be9adab96f45f27abda1ca11a0f101e85c0de5af0ca7c6be05835877135 op_cert_counter: 14