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 8498221 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86860278 epoch_slot_no: 287478 block_no: 8498044 slot_leader_id: 6436344 size: 33324 time: 2023-03-10 05:36:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1a393d480c0096836225ad888a32876bcc2a6e504cdc63727d8d14d9f036b02aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x4nxqe8s3rwh6u5fx9hss2865v28n54y6neluqxa8z9cqdtmk6qs45p53h op_cert: \xb7d0091075b3b52ee43b4e09bd6d156500c3f81978b0a36c0687bc8711614329 op_cert_counter: 6