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 8499163 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 86879498 epoch_slot_no: 306698 block_no: 8498986 slot_leader_id: 4556341 size: 46003 time: 2023-03-10 10:56:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66159838bd84dd07613f1bceefb3c5b5e21403500a59ba4901705e9de182abdfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15lk075tpe6zurkvstvsghw9yytu2m5q4pffe7amhex3gtfkuqwyqhvutmv op_cert: \x492156093c45875f240db35d7bdad084a97d2ec7efd21b1266ce348d90e9b639 op_cert_counter: 14