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 8498702 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 86870121 epoch_slot_no: 297321 block_no: 8498525 slot_leader_id: 5839077 size: 21660 time: 2023-03-10 08:20:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x36aa38e76626583b1494ad4f1369410f8ea2cc728d87789402a97bcd7a6b0d9cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ucr392yrn2vuj7vhkjz29zqx66kzdcwpx50nvuu2m625lu6m4drqjhxlp0 op_cert: \xc0022f04099a073b805c47b0268ede8df317e1cb39523526881fdcf276ff5a43 op_cert_counter: 14