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 8498828 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 86872431 epoch_slot_no: 299631 block_no: 8498651 slot_leader_id: 5047313 size: 5274 time: 2023-03-10 08:58:42 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9bf917ef54d3c047d31794c6313ae845e1c74827f2d6c3b3e9465512ee0cfe38Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cwukgz49fxl6w6g9wtq4kc7eptuyxv66kgfc7heyv0c3etn579sqg9djx9 op_cert: \x400b5fc4437d7e9c2828b32e5617ac94b4152f52419c68c8602c04316da0fa80 op_cert_counter: 10