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 8497194 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 43 slot_no: 86840057 epoch_slot_no: 267257 block_no: 8497017 slot_leader_id: 4555619 size: 86309 time: 2023-03-09 23:59:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x752d518c804da2f5ecf4a690a98da41d50454106bff7b0d3476f90ae3c76febfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqtj7dj5hdqdfe07fzydp5rdqed88ktesuvlgljqwudqr3dlt99swz8kz2 op_cert: \xce1e24013fd4d3683d8987787bd03730a549789ecf33b60a6de573ad3306204c op_cert_counter: 15