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 8499426 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86885246 epoch_slot_no: 312446 block_no: 8499249 slot_leader_id: 6765764 size: 59802 time: 2023-03-10 12:32:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8afeb52756595460cd8e86bb7336497a6e628f349a29219b57373ce6a4721fc8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k9ac4y7rs3aeth92ajej7jlwnheqyxklrpdm86gvj75k7gq0y57ssewmje op_cert: \x79a709cc48ecb8bac418b38a62fc4a894d3b90fa17f34c0baa339d1a91cd45dd op_cert_counter: 6