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 8491636 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86726660 epoch_slot_no: 153860 block_no: 8491459 slot_leader_id: 5301100 size: 16649 time: 2023-03-08 16:29:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc002163a0b653bbb8167a84b03d3f2a5c002fa9bc76bf162492b3827bcb23a7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ufjf7846r240dn4fnd22qw6fnwahaa4n4lsl70u0m4hg9np59css78sgfp op_cert: \xdd9bff040030ac0b9d14967a0d72d7501012586cd55dc2ff6c4f109672bc5613 op_cert_counter: 9