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 8495668 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86809735 epoch_slot_no: 236935 block_no: 8495491 slot_leader_id: 5471731 size: 29978 time: 2023-03-09 15:33:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8fcec5bea8db7aac1e98a6ae856744c75a25a98b4ca953fbef0235de1b10d962Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xxqfg0zefcws6ahuexzncssy70003m2f9qttcczvndsr6n037dsqrmnv4m op_cert: \x8fb899e785cf9fdd4cea7835532b8bd518d3bcca56bf0fc4ca002da8ffd12e16 op_cert_counter: 17