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 8491874 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 86731273 epoch_slot_no: 158473 block_no: 8491697 slot_leader_id: 4679252 size: 30136 time: 2023-03-08 17:46:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x325a45e503de7178882a0740a086faf6aeb5f77e5e429d63aeeedfdaf1011d02Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u3rp29td29q0txep3j7vvnk3jhpr7rwu8kqwfa34g8ukpqhgppcs8727xq op_cert: \xbbd11f7eb559f72ab1652e1e6b3048f53ce60a3f33f80e29e278a0f6d1c35cd3 op_cert_counter: 13