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 8497854 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 86852848 epoch_slot_no: 280048 block_no: 8497677 slot_leader_id: 8484836 size: 57904 time: 2023-03-10 03:32:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9db6a759246b8bdb169a1b38ba116164d9b63a0cd3d81d969588f8f0f2e102c9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fg58zges00zkj26lphma2h3g4sy2dsuefy3u6euywz69q9aaj5vqz97jx8 op_cert: \x56efac3b165f1539da5572fa98e0019cbca3ec45a0a2f810616bcad285478996 op_cert_counter: 0