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 8494697 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86789546 epoch_slot_no: 216746 block_no: 8494520 slot_leader_id: 5512499 size: 19530 time: 2023-03-09 09:57:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66bedf1ccbdbfdca176f30baa49c011a3ddfdef3457ccc9879cb11f0c1652255Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ys9nhj9yzzd7lwpgthrc2rrtekkaal7frdv86em07exn84vd658svuuk2x op_cert: \x3b62f0d30e92bcf1cfba83c4d962fbe6165f01d94d5b7fb337a4acd19dd2f618 op_cert_counter: 8