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 8493699 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86769729 epoch_slot_no: 196929 block_no: 8493522 slot_leader_id: 5098945 size: 15220 time: 2023-03-09 04:27:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa02cd6f60473ef015432a2157d1c8570da41b57b984464b36a245363dfeec4baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hpnf7ytfvtq7h5ns5zcqg6yxrjg34kkfj5njmgs8hjxtfle6qrnsash3xy op_cert: \x6e965ee09632519948258f8ba7a2e8fbd84db91ede232ef85046ccf61988bd58 op_cert_counter: 9