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 8496340 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 86822495 epoch_slot_no: 249695 block_no: 8496163 slot_leader_id: 5027344 size: 73493 time: 2023-03-09 19:06:26 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31366975b57ed94331a6ee9ad08bab152de5334236eb08f8130f3a385bc9cf54Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1038jvydsxw53xul39j7zmyuxg9fuq4w53xcezywqpf5nxldydcwsj6mmjr op_cert: \xc91081b23ac4014eba43ac85ccff235ace80707a2bf2b06e59e22dcb66d37def op_cert_counter: 16