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 8499553 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 86887969 epoch_slot_no: 315169 block_no: 8499376 slot_leader_id: 7376579 size: 54226 time: 2023-03-10 13:17:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34a23e615ce72b878b88d4b891acc46e23e7d1ccd2b0e05ea484722c3bbb8976Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jrnkv44tm0xxpt63tflypqpfaja4e35zl6g249n9uk4pyp5nj8ast3rj04 op_cert: \xa1fa72d6342703c3f5c980ac2a7d81d6ebf5d0b098bb8c08a68ca377313a65a9 op_cert_counter: 1659975395