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 8497062 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 86837466 epoch_slot_no: 264666 block_no: 8496885 slot_leader_id: 6002874 size: 43191 time: 2023-03-09 23:15:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8899b004b38ba0db11cf5e66aa6985ac3a6e28f834a9c525654a235f58ed5721Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qjf5cjqk3ycl4d2ezvcj7wm52882ucfc7tda4kvszva5d5nem4gsqzrpxg op_cert: \xd316827ab814373a4abaf3173ed4681bc1b56641c57057aeabf6300cad2540af op_cert_counter: 7