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 8493696 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 86769682 epoch_slot_no: 196882 block_no: 8493519 slot_leader_id: 5323914 size: 13045 time: 2023-03-09 04:26:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xec3bfb6d01cc0865155d2cbd30325a2a8d5f044c2f97d6c35aa2ff3234e541e4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1e6we68f8v6kr04d8xj2vw509patykzr5yzkw4njkmxhas0e85zzsvz9ht6 op_cert: \x31f2db4cfa2e8087b4403035047e9c37024246292f4b35ab2ba906ee886743d8 op_cert_counter: 7