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 8499743 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 39 slot_no: 86891499 epoch_slot_no: 318699 block_no: 8499566 slot_leader_id: 5347914 size: 88219 time: 2023-03-10 14:16:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34c24c077683be13d96b437a886054607985674505a310c06a61cee6f704bdadBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d0l8l5fvmrswp69hrmq5kz76w3crjvg9xesqq4xq2vk9qhka3j3qzfwsau op_cert: \x4f8e7fe26328ba06329782a4e89960c32fd5a81ecf30b3e606014c2c373aefdb op_cert_counter: 10