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 8498699 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 86870098 epoch_slot_no: 297298 block_no: 8498522 slot_leader_id: 5876104 size: 42659 time: 2023-03-10 08:19:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8af0bb30c239f842555cf4aa04f522e80352924d366a9b06e1a788a874bd3b61Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v0d2sfqpjxdyu8przyu6r8d6e3tus2pkcreh8kkhmvxv6kvnckcqu5ycdk op_cert: \x9e784eb7c0dbe929ccb4c4e648b9b37c0c10c5b4b572b9a031b4fd0a9b743ad7 op_cert_counter: 10