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 8491598 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 44 slot_no: 86725902 epoch_slot_no: 153102 block_no: 8491421 slot_leader_id: 5343663 size: 68652 time: 2023-03-08 16:16:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x09f9c892240925a984e3637cd36ca0a2de16880f3f112ba4fe65cbfc8c067a50Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1eenan99pzz67tgzjmwat3xysx2dlpj57r7fmgm0337xrx5z2y36s5spv4a op_cert: \xc40afa0a2428a3e768202d860ee9e20e9c68fe6d6ace845e193f5b600556f362 op_cert_counter: 9