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 8498608 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 86868554 epoch_slot_no: 295754 block_no: 8498431 slot_leader_id: 5087110 size: 73839 time: 2023-03-10 07:54:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x22e34ddd191e2873f5104bbcf87bde26e6ae8df99be6796084846d51b9c0f7abBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cupe2qzylwyuwu53mgudk4ts668lp0ggcdcxz58tm6psa2k8e7kqxzkggt op_cert: \x0c4f7ce1037cb3516991c6e619b2123848a8bacb5fc1797b479e4a37d53ce3d3 op_cert_counter: 14