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 8496315 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 86821930 epoch_slot_no: 249130 block_no: 8496138 slot_leader_id: 6132697 size: 7013 time: 2023-03-09 18:57:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x132cb4da990633212e8413ad1dadffd92f96d63ea9c071e36955a7926b4e0ca4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nw759hxxm5wauz2ge6nsfzr49d89j2rvrplfcd4ewzncgcynr5zq6pwrt7 op_cert: \x5ab952c2715e83120648b4f90d1540450ee272d9fd1b918ff67ffd7afe736488 op_cert_counter: 8