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 8496394 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 86823660 epoch_slot_no: 250860 block_no: 8496217 slot_leader_id: 5151828 size: 9236 time: 2023-03-09 19:25:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x187734fc42e3df09b364136d674f85eec788e9ae80436f4e66470355cca8f4f8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15k7lt8kzscha56uz6a5n882qupvu2hpe69jt4p2x35ug4lpj63qswls803 op_cert: \xff75155ffeb866cda6aae9496b46a88fd0b7fbec263ccfd49d5679507edac2c3 op_cert_counter: 6