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 8496417 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 86824171 epoch_slot_no: 251371 block_no: 8496240 slot_leader_id: 4561295 size: 20227 time: 2023-03-09 19:34:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0c4405b5a7c0f48f3e0ebf364a4a94e083e12ea8cc62bbc1f285dabca67ef729Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1re6r46r8sj4hcafey4hkud02sev80jzsrw6l3j9mk2ee33qm736s07pvdh op_cert: \x0e41b6326cb2d4bbe3ba5964cc734b1f368df258229f6786f6db76db66660b1c op_cert_counter: 14