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 8488721 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 86666380 epoch_slot_no: 93580 block_no: 8488544 slot_leader_id: 5449466 size: 48663 time: 2023-03-07 23:44:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7ccce21a132c4195391b3dbf4f742d3b0dbff1fdfb983631ba9f4dffbb7c9bceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dqpls8nj7wjjr65hyh4lkyk5rczmnlpap529ty3r5a97eq2ewtpsrqul8j op_cert: \xd5d0053ceb7fc8aa6d4f8d6047d84a6a9c5a32c064f7387ece66cd9162d0f3b1 op_cert_counter: 9