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 8491495 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86723723 epoch_slot_no: 150923 block_no: 8491318 slot_leader_id: 4581743 size: 34041 time: 2023-03-08 15:40:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x60e60de1d7f878ad2f050a4cde732652e18b64426bd5a46b7b973878ad41aa05Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10muay2s03zv47g7dqqqfkjk8w52a9auk6mz35vc79k7e70sw0jjq2qd234 op_cert: \x8595770f93b851c0e1aaab7bc067681ee2fdb45b8ba6ccac9d81e7a11e08b907 op_cert_counter: 13