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 8490723 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 86708040 epoch_slot_no: 135240 block_no: 8490546 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 60687 time: 2023-03-08 11:18:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd2a73ea589d4f0745f01af9008fb12815bc08d1e91176073b3c403519d9abb0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \x67415295349d6fea66618a6bd1674a5e078ce168d6a9bdff86aaf2977714a7f9 op_cert_counter: 17