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 8498738 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 86870786 epoch_slot_no: 297986 block_no: 8498561 slot_leader_id: 5023718 size: 72095 time: 2023-03-10 08:31:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb0552e3e8f69cdf86fa32369859faf9fe816067cebe17724209738cbdb62adb8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13394aw38pqs9qudwszpkz4wq4rqglgm6hcp8kv8uswvudt4f633sjzuml4 op_cert: \x627b263e4182f952c81ee627e90cbbe7c17320483a2f38fec6bd616135a2c4da op_cert_counter: 16