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 8499384 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86884288 epoch_slot_no: 311488 block_no: 8499207 slot_leader_id: 5722967 size: 42476 time: 2023-03-10 12:16:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3db302cba2fe81ba940a5c738181a44cd36299c97a8ac1cc24b20f7212c65ecfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13jt50ukdkwer5uph8wfnrwq048n0yw0pxwwmqqqwt9jmwheld9sqwp8wj2 op_cert: \x6002bcdc41cce42e804c6807bf2b8f7261b1ebba4e1cf8b452a5d2351bd89fe1 op_cert_counter: 11