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 8490955 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 86712594 epoch_slot_no: 139794 block_no: 8490778 slot_leader_id: 5046367 size: 20580 time: 2023-03-08 12:34:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8b198d62946bcf8140af1e6cbc29dc5021164a6c0c65a1e33a2333df2626c46dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c30p4kcpcqfvc4cqfhg7az8mdvzfazx6w9gfhzu7jvpva3exuwasjxn8lj op_cert: \x25c74bf6b66932ca7eeb601d375668ea5929ab55058f0a319565e499b1de1de9 op_cert_counter: 13