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 8496081 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 86817458 epoch_slot_no: 244658 block_no: 8495904 slot_leader_id: 4568891 size: 88390 time: 2023-03-09 17:42:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8afdf917fbdd2d34ec1a49659803c630e7a61e3ba6cb08183a03f60e7f2cdc33Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cwev84mcwhyr6nwcya2ucw0hmajp3qcdvy0m5mhuxgkgxnavx5uqyczgel op_cert: \xb3b1c165cde083037468e2197381cd82604bfbb0f935919f04e8b43588f14528 op_cert_counter: 13