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 8499986 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 86895993 epoch_slot_no: 323193 block_no: 8499809 slot_leader_id: 4555569 size: 22238 time: 2023-03-10 15:31:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x12aeb7575616617ae108f5e96c89874af509abc94f274238b484587804e03cecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c49e80jptd8pkmgrj8g3xex3rfd0xw0xwp88c3fpz9jjcmfu7xtswwzll8 op_cert: \x73c55b661cbe79f41c356a61ec57a393c87c892e78cba9340df9e2accb9ad1a7 op_cert_counter: 15