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 8499046 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86876955 epoch_slot_no: 304155 block_no: 8498869 slot_leader_id: 5649410 size: 11416 time: 2023-03-10 10:14:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5dba40a031321c936bb048985cde228f24f639b638db776f324f058f3757a63eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t508dnthfw3lt6mdlq90wpzckmtf0l2ndpgwc6cxsk9esvyvzyssazcayr op_cert: \x78423640c0700c41bda6640a71e02fa29e9f5bc18d2ca45139a92180e12ff941 op_cert_counter: 10