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 8498378 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 86863754 epoch_slot_no: 290954 block_no: 8498201 slot_leader_id: 6152189 size: 88612 time: 2023-03-10 06:34:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdcd4f8a677eb86d2a889d85f60405710805c9248e4aed44e669d786580a5bd9eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n5vkmpf9qfjh878t3jz599sr0adjrj0fr0dlk4phqm0ekzd7z6fqega60k op_cert: \x59e03b98c1a05d9ede61b2922b8d79eec393cc2291b2ad94ed77121388f5708b op_cert_counter: 7