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 8490179 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 86696774 epoch_slot_no: 123974 block_no: 8490002 slot_leader_id: 4962621 size: 51592 time: 2023-03-08 08:11:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xac93abe5e74a9bdb76634f8833d2ebc518e5481e9199aa8d5fa31cb5cc6fa958Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qs40s2r4qhygpq8va07ntwrpptd7ak6vnpskmqqctdz5d5z9y6ysv6ext5 op_cert: \xfcf1ac52e29a36b45fc2bc9d13faa1b1ef130a7e02826fc094ca265f91c7d40d op_cert_counter: 8