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 8495861 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 86813098 epoch_slot_no: 240298 block_no: 8495684 slot_leader_id: 6248077 size: 45707 time: 2023-03-09 16:29:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9b7a2c4281f6f0edac69b678e4167406b7e2acd54ab173d60baed6dbce98b0a7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xgwkd5d9thf74py7y0chwu7nuzwywt05gap94kvde8ce3thejxzspxcgc3 op_cert: \xa4dab0733b18a358e367774a5bec3871a66c615ece1c646fbb5f16ea70ad16a5 op_cert_counter: 8