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 8490521 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 86704065 epoch_slot_no: 131265 block_no: 8490344 slot_leader_id: 4556117 size: 8218 time: 2023-03-08 10:12:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x81f5b78e9c748246b4a51fe8fed55de9a9e7d41d77e7824220ede9507203ba5eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c2lexrd2suefkzu06y3u0hkxvfau9avdvcj9mf6m7se6n5s3r73s6h0rc4 op_cert: \x78273c7bdbdd21555e4ea52354bc558752e78b3963fb4767c8861d0ca0548e5f op_cert_counter: 11