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 8495873 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 86813441 epoch_slot_no: 240641 block_no: 8495696 slot_leader_id: 6664499 size: 31401 time: 2023-03-09 16:35:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc54e99a4f63cf4cb3a5c57e4e07fc8dc7c252873690ef4f3623e431e7435ffcaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xr90dczhwt7s3k6g42tn3k2yrrlqmf2craqm9exc64dpaudeaylqz6gk66 op_cert: \xa7504bef4269f283b6d24a5e32071fc66b7994988bde25eccf3ef3a503135385 op_cert_counter: 5