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 8498648 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86869213 epoch_slot_no: 296413 block_no: 8498471 slot_leader_id: 5030993 size: 39537 time: 2023-03-10 08:05:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x82a1c02083a28307f618a47597abc449eadd6bd664f7c40c68e8cc5c1d8f097dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zg2p5k3dqlxu7pshsgtlwpswwrl2gd3r2a4cgsg5xu5y82qzpuasfjc0a7 op_cert: \x96ec0a3f5742e6611f7207183fc94c2949f7a604e54599876c3b146385493cdc op_cert_counter: 5