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 8499374 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 86883888 epoch_slot_no: 311088 block_no: 8499197 slot_leader_id: 5461687 size: 4837 time: 2023-03-10 12:09:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7b9c84107962220152170eb1c208b8c5e7cfb7153190fc4f455c7661de40d66dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pq6pgh9hztgm3enuahyt6m5nkwn87uw9thfevpwaqwh8jgzwj4ks5su272 op_cert: \xb96ca5692d75a554719fe0d202fda1cf0f66d11ed7b6ea259c7dce0a1b234cc1 op_cert_counter: 11