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 8497656 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 86848993 epoch_slot_no: 276193 block_no: 8497479 slot_leader_id: 5472928 size: 20043 time: 2023-03-10 02:28:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x05340eaebc80141176ea3aa2bf04670d2636d06de9cf63ad2ec0bbf3413f6367Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nsd6su3xzfxnu0686zufea23pfz6j4tg2twyw9e4fkfwxcshqgkqf37kkn op_cert: \x0f25614a54adb47d0cbe63c9db07f15b287f8a77610d02f10e74b722ba4435fa op_cert_counter: 13