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 8491959 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86733147 epoch_slot_no: 160347 block_no: 8491782 slot_leader_id: 8314996 size: 55643 time: 2023-03-08 18:17:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52caba8c334d844a7419f7a7613031aebbb353839b4177410c86d30d05b304bcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13v3ktwk64rjp8sq3xa39cvceza38mz0ly5q7tnlhp2ddwka093tsx6ujqy op_cert: \xec28275883545a61a781c9d766de42b86aa6e59f1461dd326a7cacb885b8e433 op_cert_counter: 1