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 8497157 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86839149 epoch_slot_no: 266349 block_no: 8496980 slot_leader_id: 5449400 size: 3701 time: 2023-03-09 23:44:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x89b3e8ddd2067663204200e78293a4da7bb78e0af149d65c37a6dbf6cc2bf23dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xjqpwtdf9vc4khjwlpyf6q8zkkcs2tq2qa58lk3q24v7z4a53n5sk4dfkz op_cert: \xd136908dc6a083fd2e6b45198af11eeb0ae0f5de4f61b1e76f2167db59db82f4 op_cert_counter: 9