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 8499176 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86879766 epoch_slot_no: 306966 block_no: 8498999 slot_leader_id: 7487229 size: 6331 time: 2023-03-10 11:00:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3f3b278df7179dc86b759561122a2ed0200cba91f25e99476111b5004c1f7aedBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jywdpgdeqf9kdz2c8cxpgee0ugfjpemt976xxcncvxzrqkpj8kxqnfqpvk op_cert: \x407fadb8a68f0f4dfea53cd68bf108e14015b9981abea53d306713825abb08da op_cert_counter: 6