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 8488894 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 86669521 epoch_slot_no: 96721 block_no: 8488717 slot_leader_id: 7487229 size: 3831 time: 2023-03-08 00:36:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9a7738b91ae9a1dc5a7e079fc122259b9b03c10b98652b671cefc92267935f1eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jywdpgdeqf9kdz2c8cxpgee0ugfjpemt976xxcncvxzrqkpj8kxqnfqpvk op_cert: \xa42d3d525f64ecc442ac5aae9729ffc5d48eacfb2aaf2468876ab7bdd7771694 op_cert_counter: 5