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 8490868 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86710944 epoch_slot_no: 138144 block_no: 8490691 slot_leader_id: 5493217 size: 16934 time: 2023-03-08 12:07:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x88ca548af24a3ea09b9a124b09cffec86e7f978d2e47daa3abd0e7302b94b443Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cakf4klps5d980wm8657zsmnen8rcwvka0nn3ug0eg0fj2ym4chqvn04ed op_cert: \x09afdfd76092ebd5275cb0b2b2caf273cb762f51d1fafd368004f516228eb6fe op_cert_counter: 8