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 8498617 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 86868687 epoch_slot_no: 295887 block_no: 8498440 slot_leader_id: 7046460 size: 19957 time: 2023-03-10 07:56:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6c47c9959712d281f7815d3ea67c140858c0b6607f77532048ea6bb19db089a6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gsld0lh0p44ntxnu2ac5vlr4dcdj7jq6ru259kp0duk0fu0095js7rcd9x op_cert: \xc85cc7a51fc63db8cbe2b0722b783c96545c83087b2c0928743b1b122e568c5a op_cert_counter: 1659973416