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 8490558 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 86704724 epoch_slot_no: 131924 block_no: 8490381 slot_leader_id: 4989634 size: 55859 time: 2023-03-08 10:23:35 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7f489e2b021cf35a8de59fd1dd5682bf0dce05e4dea9dd84281d0dc5eb846d66Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17xppz4t8889f4eqt0cazyrexrfan7za4t5pfeu4hx89xaadvj0jqej033d op_cert: \x394c820f707c955d0dbaf1805009f7d5c268b07f8b304225410e21e05c009df9 op_cert_counter: 12