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 8491494 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86723694 epoch_slot_no: 150894 block_no: 8491317 slot_leader_id: 5152386 size: 6889 time: 2023-03-08 15:39:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc9a40da8fffad80f1c6e14a96220ec8d90475b85cec758627e78a0c1cf71f5d1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vr20la7r92sf2j8pgk5mv0l0vaqu2twe7mxqm69hh2zu855pa23s049qnc op_cert: \xb101aed948844983f48ec21ce90e06dab6ea673b55f633a5b3b46e1078506d6d op_cert_counter: 13