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 8497121 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86838364 epoch_slot_no: 265564 block_no: 8496944 slot_leader_id: 4586341 size: 53082 time: 2023-03-09 23:30:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x374571e933f9c1a22b6d5212c1bf389467345e0f2d955d5cd6cc6061b1abd330Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rpe8smeujgprr4zh7lkpap3uuafzf6tncgsnvl429tpmt6r35wyqy87aph op_cert: \xa162ef0aa359aeb6e30811a83acf30cba32891eb2f647757bef934c06608640d op_cert_counter: 13