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 8491417 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86722066 epoch_slot_no: 149266 block_no: 8491240 slot_leader_id: 4556049 size: 34679 time: 2023-03-08 15:12:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x627508aef0bfa0ae3586a2e9171f679b7f8a21e88145eddbe223192406d49e9eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1md23rugrrnl66ja45503p6vdmzvwqlflc8yhva877gxtln9sekgsx2ehap op_cert: \x21f0ce6cfd8098f835aa353f5c08b0646a8bf265db6aa3e1622ecee8fdd03923 op_cert_counter: 11