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 8494673 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 86789234 epoch_slot_no: 216434 block_no: 8494496 slot_leader_id: 5609069 size: 5678 time: 2023-03-09 09:52:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x08e5c86560c08f265a56ff04afe589757a11f50754afc9807ee4e7e38a16a65aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1umc4uaql3pps827tkzzwdzgrug0482utuya77f2xvn6497xye8uqflwjxz op_cert: \xc3468b0e495bb9893eee80d648628599ec64a9af6c292fd0f29a740d62670ac8 op_cert_counter: 8