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 8491956 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86733040 epoch_slot_no: 160240 block_no: 8491779 slot_leader_id: 4571117 size: 20147 time: 2023-03-08 18:15:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1be466b50fd63c820595d3151e0ae33be8744c568465322e0ca430e375be4e54Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jrv8ktg9t5uqpnxvpcvvgt2nd6awt0m26u9he9r7w0za8g2ha7as6tny97 op_cert: \x6c9559ad4091844f50a0b5fd668e3cde66e504ee2268d0741c0c15c33c4c0232 op_cert_counter: 10