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 8495899 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 86813861 epoch_slot_no: 241061 block_no: 8495722 slot_leader_id: 5004651 size: 45591 time: 2023-03-09 16:42:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x55c20e784d5ddb3acaaeb64e4de189ce51807275c2a47fc4df22da7e6f3330d3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d9dr3tl0fptww5r9pyxj4kafvxxz4h6vqe9kud4gx062q2rl6l8q49e4p0 op_cert: \x6866606c90f4b61dd1f21418211dc7261f3eb3f6726674123a208b094220b64b op_cert_counter: 8