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 8496326 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 35 slot_no: 86822118 epoch_slot_no: 249318 block_no: 8496149 slot_leader_id: 4559948 size: 83528 time: 2023-03-09 19:00:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x311a712bcdbe0e7bf812a212fd7131c86150198ada850d33a9decee39580535aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17f6d6lhqs57df92c2ju3ymqmq5uqaxk7drxxr96mj4cz6s37300q9y3av8 op_cert: \x4b087f2eca822eeac447602cc0cf71206fd12504489b4c240138e0e1e0744e65 op_cert_counter: 13