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 8497071 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86837558 epoch_slot_no: 264758 block_no: 8496894 slot_leader_id: 4556294 size: 7643 time: 2023-03-09 23:17:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe1f04f3a303cde2b92bde4c688f58522c75a0014ef55e233020767e7b1abbc3dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rgedf5ehp45jtrgkp8rmr225x6y3rd2tl5jp9m2s048s0u5nnzlqcqfq3t op_cert: \xce78c97fbf845a1156265085235165edf74cfb860d2a04f43ca5892193ee4c30 op_cert_counter: 18