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 8494619 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86788089 epoch_slot_no: 215289 block_no: 8494442 slot_leader_id: 5369270 size: 12801 time: 2023-03-09 09:33:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x420e99964a5d94cd2c9a40e9caf1560bcd3d3f3ac87be82be8cca1cc50af6c4eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cqnf2qhdjc5ysfp8t26drmdjr5nru9yvy53shx3wp5rqnu59ljqs9r0yqv op_cert: \x66ad8c4436292faf7768f737284a72ce712611e617dc534655b0edd41b554804 op_cert_counter: 8