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 8499432 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 86885380 epoch_slot_no: 312580 block_no: 8499255 slot_leader_id: 6096969 size: 54816 time: 2023-03-10 12:34:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x081ef74c9e1eb1006e272788b5879fc06fb264b05760f822171e09c2a3a2a4aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v7n8q565aej4vqu3wkx5kcuxs3vslcr08pj70sanh3yf9fevq6dqkc6ynn op_cert: \x0016a0faaf44778a42d4bc8bf001549bf3b437966b2d31b7a50eaa2d3e794279 op_cert_counter: 11