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 8490436 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 86702399 epoch_slot_no: 129599 block_no: 8490259 slot_leader_id: 4557674 size: 19897 time: 2023-03-08 09:44:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5053994c0e772f31639e549a1239e164f29307c576efbf26ffde535f93b68a4bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1da3263cgw8qypes8yhd3uj34p6n4yf9wqaa5nlf2gwura3jpeumsyaeppa op_cert: \x3332ad393677bac63292aa6f2e549019428e77195bfda9ced9cbc1b69170e362 op_cert_counter: 15