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 8497677 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86849364 epoch_slot_no: 276564 block_no: 8497500 slot_leader_id: 4573316 size: 27269 time: 2023-03-10 02:34:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x723d7917026ee38e58a2794de7eb14a9dd6d3a0a5965a5dc4819c664106fdb0eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19zx85pjga3unusf84weg647f9nrnwhwpk20nhplradajkje33tvsm4e8zm op_cert: \xe7156a5af416d755364af590260df407143ad9309fe70e846e290a38025a0b27 op_cert_counter: 11