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 8496162 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 86819334 epoch_slot_no: 246534 block_no: 8495985 slot_leader_id: 4633359 size: 25725 time: 2023-03-09 18:13:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbdda1eaf05fe625f20b2b8d238275f3d46c18538f2eaf06fec302c1bee76eb7fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cmx2qr8df8p4ffdpr3fzvkzpk8znnwzgyg6cjkquv4jnpww6gqksu9dclh op_cert: \x9d45ed999f662493740f32559c7a290ada4e7486bbbdec246652c47178e0da36 op_cert_counter: 10