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 8495886 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 86813635 epoch_slot_no: 240835 block_no: 8495709 slot_leader_id: 5369270 size: 20110 time: 2023-03-09 16:38:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xccd835ba64e905ad27375c0c236da865c0242789dd084ab02f90b1419e2c4a54Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cqnf2qhdjc5ysfp8t26drmdjr5nru9yvy53shx3wp5rqnu59ljqs9r0yqv op_cert: \x66ad8c4436292faf7768f737284a72ce712611e617dc534655b0edd41b554804 op_cert_counter: 8