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 8497298 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 86842045 epoch_slot_no: 269245 block_no: 8497121 slot_leader_id: 6023333 size: 88380 time: 2023-03-10 00:32:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31e6a92f88a39e20b0ff336a100117089cec659a34b4b91a5a01d7cd98a88e2aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ghh3zrhhxx0fjefepmlkxz6pz359zpxpagjxk2u350jdcwwmuw6q98ng2s op_cert: \x48ce3958b8c04ed49a9e5acecde2ba8add113584d602e9879aeb0f40785871fb op_cert_counter: 6