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 8495978 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86815420 epoch_slot_no: 242620 block_no: 8495801 slot_leader_id: 5279822 size: 38354 time: 2023-03-09 17:08:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x81ed27cce461a29e51e2c334380e45466565f37776e97f95d27d2d3bfa5ddd3aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nh048mgzx0fr6j3zf6cyqk3aqs6ymz6e3pfntn6p8gw2k4ykrzvswxqkcx op_cert: \xa6e4f0cd487bf21680eb45ff358dc2b0a3722024e6cbd4ff4febad76f2b9c637 op_cert_counter: 9