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 8498157 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 86859081 epoch_slot_no: 286281 block_no: 8497980 slot_leader_id: 5101102 size: 61405 time: 2023-03-10 05:16:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9392b361fa2ebb5c56785c0bcbb0e6f413e117b46db2b10e8d60b27d9dcdbea1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17azdx6gkaw43xfyvm9mts359xvzx2ezwhdd397xlvy74a9wzaqaq5rvhd2 op_cert: \x04ecf157c6f480ff4afb5722612b77a7d0a09b81120f3ecb2896da871a1bfcaa op_cert_counter: 11