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 8498054 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86856877 epoch_slot_no: 284077 block_no: 8497877 slot_leader_id: 4561262 size: 61111 time: 2023-03-10 04:39:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe4a37b2c85b6741a70ce8195f4c212800aa208b5aa1ec750c4dfc63488f89e2dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ak5n6v2m74k2c3ac9hellewm5ssarw363vgh7hc4ujshmdf60rs2furrn op_cert: \x8b3ab6373dafd2289170fa63d9dcdd86a63858334e1e3a33704accaf0e41da86 op_cert_counter: 17