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 8491118 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86716001 epoch_slot_no: 143201 block_no: 8490941 slot_leader_id: 4556102 size: 71416 time: 2023-03-08 13:31:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3cebb6b150126f0900683b1b8b1a3b452987c031de586b21676fc79bd46f6e6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w4dsu3xp2v2rqzfz22t906sea38xk29htmzfm950egxa7s65sp9symvnkx op_cert: \x8f4aa500c0e6c3a4e6245915d9c79667a59590281f44016eff654e732099aa3e op_cert_counter: 13