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 8495446 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 86805205 epoch_slot_no: 232405 block_no: 8495269 slot_leader_id: 8158224 size: 18197 time: 2023-03-09 14:18:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdc878494ff3e5c74c2bbc4a53ed9caaa14f1bbe72c1aa11e04d10febbdd56ef2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kq8upg9wdtg53fmvn9xlrqtyceg8xyra2c48jacj9s9cnjq7j6sssdjfdv op_cert: \x3e8f5bcd90fff9f92aa653bb8f8b82eb649cdb5f47b97906c2bf4a72c86172bf op_cert_counter: 1