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 8495840 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 86812799 epoch_slot_no: 239999 block_no: 8495663 slot_leader_id: 4640685 size: 30977 time: 2023-03-09 16:24:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7000c8a317a945e8ae5110daf5f5dbad2afac3fa2924f275a8f215eb37b39b8cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12fjnfgfyqpdqu9tl6rjlyn63anxc49yptvyxfya2fd202p9gmxksnlzvk7 op_cert: \xb61d07a19a6d4e389edebf418390d42917854a820b788901c8f58232983be650 op_cert_counter: 10