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 8497868 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 86853102 epoch_slot_no: 280302 block_no: 8497691 slot_leader_id: 5679081 size: 42170 time: 2023-03-10 03:36:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3f5ecee2eca21f800944bc91e45ddbd72cf6be9197ad13e41c21ef68de9988c1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hfux2r4k866gs053uevcpce7sd9ntflszxhvlwpy7t2wvzemdpfqnyztsl op_cert: \x55554e0fff4968252ee244098d74dfd909a74de75bf9bd21722dbe407fe9f803 op_cert_counter: 15