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 8497846 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 86852649 epoch_slot_no: 279849 block_no: 8497669 slot_leader_id: 4558711 size: 52248 time: 2023-03-10 03:29:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8273b78d879aa216e4effb6af533dac24ffea9e38d76e1f85976de167b1e3505Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xnpprrn77xe9as4a7cv5dehdr5ju6h06w87nn4rnfr2kr2dw3jyqpcy2r6 op_cert: \x4143201ce17323537033ba2322f478c91e7feb7f7a91addb06fc62fdaaca7571 op_cert_counter: 11