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 8497030 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 86836845 epoch_slot_no: 264045 block_no: 8496853 slot_leader_id: 5151828 size: 32313 time: 2023-03-09 23:05:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x034871d944dab6ef27627222512a821d61cb8367183158b7ee76a990f5f67162Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15k7lt8kzscha56uz6a5n882qupvu2hpe69jt4p2x35ug4lpj63qswls803 op_cert: \xff75155ffeb866cda6aae9496b46a88fd0b7fbec263ccfd49d5679507edac2c3 op_cert_counter: 6