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 8491221 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86717913 epoch_slot_no: 145113 block_no: 8491044 slot_leader_id: 5051928 size: 34208 time: 2023-03-08 14:03:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf4c5caf02015bdb86521da8bc7533ebfaf732da778cb4d22ab7a058fc79b23e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dv6d47qc6w8z4x8p2mmmqexd3khw6pt083r2jn6ztxckkcy9y6hqszrgpv op_cert: \x83ba3a63f69ecd277c634a4d292e865416616896bd511fb8f705b492688993ec op_cert_counter: 12