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 8498240 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86860718 epoch_slot_no: 287918 block_no: 8498063 slot_leader_id: 5065959 size: 28435 time: 2023-03-10 05:43:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7a5c5f6b5ab5a5366538e53135d74b617350890ba6d502b5b7e35bf2ea603de9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d9qrmed96sxkttr88uhg8u9dxa79rwhrppy75ea588r9c6t29q7q2zyu74 op_cert: \xee322ea62d550ca099931096dd07c78671d68ca9561e6e463aadddc7938195a0 op_cert_counter: 20