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 8496386 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86823472 epoch_slot_no: 250672 block_no: 8496209 slot_leader_id: 4565547 size: 28452 time: 2023-03-09 19:22:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46907394318329948a0b3941a03068421c03160396e6ca3843f395bfbd91f49eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1l25tkz3ste3dll2daknrwl450uf329533esq9dppuen38aqkualqx0kj9v op_cert: \xd436644cf084f980703e1d01c8f7f99a4d45a09cb85e7ea64ea8010dcd62e57b op_cert_counter: 13