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 8498739 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 86870806 epoch_slot_no: 298006 block_no: 8498562 slot_leader_id: 5452949 size: 9548 time: 2023-03-10 08:31:37 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x59ba9d6646231c3d8e0a27fe2a497cbfaadc4d847308704a9243bd94fe18c73fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n6s0rl6d5udka80mqxsd4gpvc4ndg2x85ztftv3aga7y8q3r7nesmmfs58 op_cert: \x9ef05c4ad11b7f3addd79563e6caf34a9ca2a7220cc5f23cfc7acf6d2e953460 op_cert_counter: 8