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 8491857 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86730995 epoch_slot_no: 158195 block_no: 8491680 slot_leader_id: 4985325 size: 39890 time: 2023-03-08 17:41:26 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0203448fc80304178b5eaca2ea9ff35033761d5ab79615b41649c063d126d97fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk104ph0tayutj52je952fk2wrwa88qn4d4989wf79a44zdmyswj6hs47wg25 op_cert: \x88ebc3af0394a383e29905f142e84d7493370ec56db69cfe598f48cd527dbb16 op_cert_counter: 12