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 8496306 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 86821816 epoch_slot_no: 249016 block_no: 8496129 slot_leader_id: 7257008 size: 24103 time: 2023-03-09 18:55:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe69e2c3af43ab605d021dd876a092540a324727efdb97d218481e2aba290be09Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r9u9cvkhg5h4mps0la87c6qvcupfa0upzqhs6m4mnvtx9h9kc0aqraxhea op_cert: \x3f2be1b77118b8192ebb047f80241150fe54748926bc044b3d9f4725d68bfb02 op_cert_counter: 1659973701