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 8497162 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 86839285 epoch_slot_no: 266485 block_no: 8496985 slot_leader_id: 4571982 size: 17476 time: 2023-03-09 23:46:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbdeaf40045c106ba1f259c4e0f9d7132a465f336f36a8012a138bfeee45e377dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk102gh7cnr5hnu3jmafakj33q40rk09sjnhy3w2zj2zn742kz2trpq0v5p0u op_cert: \x0c1bf7bbeaaaea262816de45b12114cd075a1359ffd00d3f804f4ac2a7c86bf6 op_cert_counter: 25