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 8497684 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 86849547 epoch_slot_no: 276747 block_no: 8497507 slot_leader_id: 4577713 size: 12327 time: 2023-03-10 02:37:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x94838540a5ca037ea8ac0b08de0db31ceaa2b8b752ce0b0b37adea4c2ccf99ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qwu8m2lsqldzdg4m8ypaj5w2sdamla6p0t2kvk0amzfpc5v7ednsvfcj2p op_cert: \xb9610823890d410aebd76f9157b7b612642d99c989ff093f73dfc7590c39cdaf op_cert_counter: 12