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 8497742 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 86850396 epoch_slot_no: 277596 block_no: 8497565 slot_leader_id: 7046648 size: 71591 time: 2023-03-10 02:51:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x18c38930e56271517bbf220cba0968d40a8f9cb6bc699e0fa67e67f7d593327bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14kzpx0v3ucdpwju3c55mv90694de9r644ssgc4tedtm8lja6msfsdzgy4d op_cert: \x4fbdaacecc83caf0db3fb3036d92d0814c254eff5ff3cf0a1a69c9755a2818dd op_cert_counter: 1659973047