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 8493578 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86767850 epoch_slot_no: 195050 block_no: 8493401 slot_leader_id: 6489525 size: 40427 time: 2023-03-09 03:55:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca7adabbce11ab53df771e614f8e5bf178d2c201ee9dea13018876d3762e7b4fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nss5ylmxgtnu0n6ll2t2fd04gfehnm40f743rlexcvaplqdujnrq48d646 op_cert: \x4cafb33545c1a7d9a35ad06b1a72104458024e782c4fb1cf31ba7515357281f4 op_cert_counter: 16