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 8496419 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 48 slot_no: 86824238 epoch_slot_no: 251438 block_no: 8496242 slot_leader_id: 4561812 size: 85387 time: 2023-03-09 19:35:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x23c9560f966ecd27f88be595c9b7715a5cefa238f586673c842b0018e68dfd7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19allfu7phllv704h7zmnxkmvxz5qu258hexft2hzjwcna7avjxgsssfd7r op_cert: \xc6d39e61bf635b80ff26505a293e91a1e0cca458e7ad148239180ad7609fa219 op_cert_counter: 14