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 8494494 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86785729 epoch_slot_no: 212929 block_no: 8494317 slot_leader_id: 7376398 size: 19095 time: 2023-03-09 08:53:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf7229d04874868a4e0b5b3051126b1224868e318fb9b039a6fc69a0b85d5006Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1546z730nmpfwcye7ms6s3awkk3tv4ad9w3dq70txy0c6zhvf83nsu5gg3n op_cert: \x9a3cdd4a6d3052de7082e257578867f18afa0a11a45a81bdebe3e100a327f675 op_cert_counter: 1659975329