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 8497612 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86848217 epoch_slot_no: 275417 block_no: 8497435 slot_leader_id: 4578914 size: 3741 time: 2023-03-10 02:15:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8c6a20bd78ab5c2559ac94725ed8d8dbaeca228057f527c15c55bcdb27d18d60Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk103gta0pa007l4ffhw96jm6v5hpzyadxz72882ec6jpxz0eg8et2qkcqvkp op_cert: \xa92a561efc4a6deb65790928045dfd9a25096bd15f56f2a7c89c7f9b5c0f533b op_cert_counter: 12