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 8499520 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86887350 epoch_slot_no: 314550 block_no: 8499343 slot_leader_id: 4555884 size: 58257 time: 2023-03-10 13:07:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x298c03f80844dab16af7289e6b1b0ebd488b16919786356c0731b2232b815c68Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t675th7lfmnks2w3jhkzgaceqnhrj3ec0ulx2qzaav4he64nj0qqncsczk op_cert: \x41c82465b1c807dd108300ba21dd893a5f673cc6eb857b708d0ed80a983688b8 op_cert_counter: 17