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 8496317 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86822001 epoch_slot_no: 249201 block_no: 8496140 slot_leader_id: 7685981 size: 23123 time: 2023-03-09 18:58:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3c2ae67ff08d7adf63d45cf09c5564e2a42d3de2d6eb0bad0c7cc019fe2563f1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12k09rgxmqslmneexx8mgakwumk4gfe3dkn8ntta25zjhz0a4zmaq07th89 op_cert: \x8d5568d94f4b599a2cc914739cc8a06db874624a6724d347a690253ba68f849e op_cert_counter: 11