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 8495420 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86804617 epoch_slot_no: 231817 block_no: 8495243 slot_leader_id: 4648582 size: 40981 time: 2023-03-09 14:08:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8ba10357161be0445335678d63431ea04bf6f979dc5eb95f41be920dc2147f9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wr3tpnsm7mq2a5kcfzfk2hwt82kukwvwrm0j86fyvkuyexmedwls53kyux op_cert: \x12c9a028a2d8fe7449fb8fc4deb46ec31171086348594de2f393eb2629cf1d24 op_cert_counter: 20