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 8497394 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 86843980 epoch_slot_no: 271180 block_no: 8497217 slot_leader_id: 7089051 size: 30793 time: 2023-03-10 01:04:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x60ce842223811ebcf1603c059ad36ac39a4f83a46a331841e553dace7f961c03Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zquchk9jzkz58u2a97kpg0pxaslfm72n0mr90uuh2par393da8hs5775xh op_cert: \x2794c78692ebb7a65d2253b36801fb3c5cc8eca2efc64033ee1b33518c432aca op_cert_counter: 1659973806