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 8497257 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 37 slot_no: 86841091 epoch_slot_no: 268291 block_no: 8497080 slot_leader_id: 4964312 size: 78716 time: 2023-03-10 00:16:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8278ab03376430de36d8b23f009d7b07698fd40ca9a1ef7525a67079b4a37f66Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1srs2y8nn0a4umvk9dxq9tle7r2g9gphm0vv0j65crkvne2ys98ssr5wlht op_cert: \x7b244b583cf6e787409c0b74773db1b189851263e1b9009b58b0fb9ec96efa84 op_cert_counter: 12