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 8497348 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86843057 epoch_slot_no: 270257 block_no: 8497171 slot_leader_id: 4555933 size: 42161 time: 2023-03-10 00:49:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x156e08c68e894d2572e70b6c5452428a4b60d0e210e309d16a92db7bba9aeb5eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk149wpky483u54tmnkxhmlr0q0z7faw8relvty6evjrrmx7tg389nsz2awld op_cert: \x685471dd9f90a8d587c7d4cdd64da9225f77c59ac4cc693611f57b9d727e7228 op_cert_counter: 16