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 8490221 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 86698035 epoch_slot_no: 125235 block_no: 8490044 slot_leader_id: 4555972 size: 23528 time: 2023-03-08 08:32:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa2e8bf5c2f7424e1a6d8a6be0b05609d5550bd2a40a5eb6eea93d86c165bfb09Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d0djffha6pa0fk44jsugyh8ew7lmmarr2k6m2xxe5qgl97ztjlyqdk5lmx op_cert: \xd5bdc0e70a4a37684646c8832a3714e9be76faa242e49dc97ec484b3f84f5fa4 op_cert_counter: 11