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 8490823 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 86710067 epoch_slot_no: 137267 block_no: 8490646 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 10450 time: 2023-03-08 11:52:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e8e2ee3afe05962f1d1a84da5fea7165547d1ec723fa6850147e0773537ae1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \x9a5cc96190af4f38efe6a2bee8d148b81fe6addc87f0bce3418efa0ca47eddeb op_cert_counter: 14