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 8490178 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 86696741 epoch_slot_no: 123941 block_no: 8490001 slot_leader_id: 5048264 size: 5785 time: 2023-03-08 08:10:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2532e6a1b23c50d44bdabdef32c2f29f037692ff04544d6a5c40c31850ecd3f5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1plptdmkuchc7wxang99cvjadkwpvpwdzsdzsytqgf84aqvsx3rgsmxxv47 op_cert: \x7a80c1ff5ecaf515a83c84ff88f7fe2162d6b7e0e8393c0e0dd9d40fed11de08 op_cert_counter: 12