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 8496329 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 86822192 epoch_slot_no: 249392 block_no: 8496152 slot_leader_id: 4564259 size: 74712 time: 2023-03-09 19:01:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x217e20398c777933bbdb752478ab5fed00d5ffd9136f1f0ed0951ea9cc7d7fccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gdvfyt2slq5gjh8qw6u83t693uh5u8au6cgyjzk5p8v5tmp7qzpqztxpq6 op_cert: \x140fa78bf41c9cd489e377597783e0c2055939372e0e08347d78297e44565afa op_cert_counter: 12