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 8494393 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86783839 epoch_slot_no: 211039 block_no: 8494216 slot_leader_id: 4594429 size: 14682 time: 2023-03-09 08:22:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x55352b7747000ca7fde3cda401b89b7f238a5bf84f07339a7451aa31924644a4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10lhmh865dzrfraz0l4ajrergmsdsdl4mmfvqthlu3jdhf0c7fgnsc40dt3 op_cert: \xa9ca187e124ce2920232c0308b16c31315cc55de638a836e841508203f11e5f7 op_cert_counter: 11