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 8498821 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 86872326 epoch_slot_no: 299526 block_no: 8498644 slot_leader_id: 5386143 size: 13867 time: 2023-03-10 08:56:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x82edbe48c975113549a22edf50931a3f6c78287b3db718a2bf2262322d99d4b7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18xe3f9ttlzam3gmrpjlf248l9vl625n0awax5qulss2ls0qnkpas9g66jv op_cert: \x2e2f6e0c63733913c11512fa4c143e88cd49ea46c05f9e9765882ccf2e659e30 op_cert_counter: 10