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 8490554 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86704587 epoch_slot_no: 131787 block_no: 8490377 slot_leader_id: 4581183 size: 50546 time: 2023-03-08 10:21:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x19884d053310ac45d5b3a7cc8a158d779a19718d664bdc1e4c5ece2c3d2efe5dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1996zz82a0vpw9tdarvjs64prxaukc7fh7h4064mduuj4nclyzmcsmhm5ut op_cert: \xc3b0b089a3fb04f9662ef5772e2deb6ddc6d8dda749d7225c812da2816a2d50c op_cert_counter: 14