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 8497014 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86836543 epoch_slot_no: 263743 block_no: 8496837 slot_leader_id: 6605175 size: 21817 time: 2023-03-09 23:00:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5c78e25ded09cd1429d7765d4d2153062f13411d44ce76faf894d65922deda6bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ltwdajt7gx6jyk852nqk6l2dzef9e2txgrg3p46ekq3gv4yud6zscyxx5t op_cert: \xe52adabb0043a01c50831e9c1e22ce76836da6bf2a095332fed6482d49e366cc op_cert_counter: 10