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 8494398 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 86783871 epoch_slot_no: 211071 block_no: 8494221 slot_leader_id: 7552966 size: 9814 time: 2023-03-09 08:22:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5408d22379861ecef63ad01ed8daa6ac6be9373bb93c77b2c8f2832a19a91c7bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h6z84y8fg5u9sw8klw3qssc4qhkmwnyw6xh7tw5usc76kry523pqgq683f op_cert: \x0c29c93578601a4161aa201c52e5a8f60b5d61d58327e8ce8749dfae079e6de5 op_cert_counter: 7