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 8497104 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 86837993 epoch_slot_no: 265193 block_no: 8496927 slot_leader_id: 4562285 size: 37157 time: 2023-03-09 23:24:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbc4f3dec04d2ce33a705c039055e1314ee27b7b2a6a014d8ab7994416582cd7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vxkyne4ftwjz4vlla756mlfqrmzwx35mkhk7d993njzmceksfp2q3kp8d4 op_cert: \xd7ea9b2f9968af84bcf6cb637408f9d93e6561d9534234108e7fb53f8e53e113 op_cert_counter: 15