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 8498604 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 28 slot_no: 86868396 epoch_slot_no: 295596 block_no: 8498427 slot_leader_id: 5023593 size: 49673 time: 2023-03-10 07:51:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfa84fc70db1c471bac44ce43f2b705766fe4b30a1767292f7ac0f1ade12fb995Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lr4hgxp9rstc9ndaq0p0zcyfkfk3j73rg5qdryza79fp5ut3jyssn225y6 op_cert: \xdd610f2b92d40ae64ca413bdaf45bed945e236af2556a4c58ccf4db5bfc9f93f op_cert_counter: 9