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 8495909 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 86814068 epoch_slot_no: 241268 block_no: 8495732 slot_leader_id: 4985470 size: 88428 time: 2023-03-09 16:45:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46642af51f84ed772fe881999febdca5c75bc1b04351ffe376603f3cc01c7bbcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ygptnml8rkgw9dmguft6dr8dnjaapk80lsynqdwzl9aap08qg6mslll3fc op_cert: \x6df2d1af4030beb447eec8948f364fa07fe3a69df6418eb512706c4783494e63 op_cert_counter: 10