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 8497962 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86854946 epoch_slot_no: 282146 block_no: 8497785 slot_leader_id: 5568326 size: 17578 time: 2023-03-10 04:07:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x648d9c097163ac403b24b3af7fa0bb7ad61b98f681da7716178e89ecd0e34e1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uyetyme67x7j50t2lqm6kzdxqapxy4exg9dznjnq63mcl7fa5a8q494gez op_cert: \x9e8340756d86c293594e830b9e18588b5896e02cb0d8c9d7c7cc0ed51e31c567 op_cert_counter: 9