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 8496310 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86821860 epoch_slot_no: 249060 block_no: 8496133 slot_leader_id: 6577561 size: 30324 time: 2023-03-09 18:55:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4b1b9cd480bc42ab6e77d8d31ce49da7ab18ffe6ed47393cb62aa0a5dca87a52Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18xqfrs3sws733ul64qne7dm57s5nv3dst90jugs5peth47kjvwuqchta5v op_cert: \x898a323d6fb275ba8c30cdd955b02e1dcfeb8fc8b5823c504084e507ba5c8013 op_cert_counter: 5