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 8497057 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 86837368 epoch_slot_no: 264568 block_no: 8496880 slot_leader_id: 6328044 size: 88414 time: 2023-03-09 23:14:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa2066dc52ca3d2266993085840747ad657ce39127f973c8da8d8602122353e6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15w8kzqluv3v2jfj2ch6zrjx359aduwet4frdnecfceelsf2ckmmschw2yv op_cert: \xcf3d734cbe2654c35900f55651339127567adae83684ef1172e28c41a6f747dc op_cert_counter: 11