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 8497558 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 86846981 epoch_slot_no: 274181 block_no: 8497381 slot_leader_id: 5332010 size: 12982 time: 2023-03-10 01:54:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7aa7033b963b966852c92b75d0745faec1cce090ae24ba504ea80a1563d4637aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gfvj82r8yl7ffe5pg5w9cgys8dn77cjl0k4wqag8p0rn20ugrxgsxa26jz op_cert: \x7f8bc6817eaf145bef9cb8d1fdb7a5a04e5df0e89ca9cba10885322b7041b9da op_cert_counter: 12