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 8496260 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86821059 epoch_slot_no: 248259 block_no: 8496083 slot_leader_id: 7356967 size: 27545 time: 2023-03-09 18:42:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x28c5e6a2c5f0b8400f427faa35e1b1fb3ca6ef8b681ca20317cce5b51f008aa1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17h65ynw5n8lv5mux0gn645yd82prtqj2a0f85u6rdp05e045050qawtgmm op_cert: \x3dc9b7615e9a82e9f73e15cd580b21c46614e12d2fc72b677b2c184e6fbda06c op_cert_counter: 1659975130