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 8491373 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 86721134 epoch_slot_no: 148334 block_no: 8491196 slot_leader_id: 4575007 size: 6682 time: 2023-03-08 14:57:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2a62e645cc9091be6e78e5de3a7258997edf3a94877ac6cc28d94d17886cd62bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h098h6ypq7lrts9ms69pxx4t4a4h5uqshe7avn8s0f8frncz67fsx4xr2g op_cert: \xd6e8cdfaea6fe035f873dde19d4dfc7ecffe76aff8d17cd2ed0a6911e5b1a5e0 op_cert_counter: 12