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 8497801 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86851456 epoch_slot_no: 278656 block_no: 8497624 slot_leader_id: 6134495 size: 28690 time: 2023-03-10 03:09:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6eb712c8ca2c67ab1f225bada200bb3410d1faa37834554e81b7619532fed14fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14yfqunyzv3w8kfamwzeqcf20wz8yykxr0qm87cylr2pm89yvs2fsdafq2a op_cert: \xd9d61e07666a533537f83bead9aa81033b0564a38e6b7a12605907cb4a3af84f op_cert_counter: 9