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 8497772 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 86850962 epoch_slot_no: 278162 block_no: 8497595 slot_leader_id: 4609504 size: 15727 time: 2023-03-10 03:00:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6776c65f7e60e5f962f0f7fa314bed77e361244e5ff9a8bf89ae753bc7c4d44cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1973re7lsj6va8q8ly4tpedu9hr9mc28wehfwvhqszd3u48kndatszu3d8w op_cert: \x3cf0970360a1efd6fa0b32785682d5ce8f1373058ae80783a24b4fff04a805b6 op_cert_counter: 12