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 8496421 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 86824272 epoch_slot_no: 251472 block_no: 8496244 slot_leader_id: 4556341 size: 9310 time: 2023-03-09 19:36:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6921bcf60a0c3d2b96c8266c638e843c8a3a12a71506e9984fe286f2c09ead54Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15lk075tpe6zurkvstvsghw9yytu2m5q4pffe7amhex3gtfkuqwyqhvutmv op_cert: \x492156093c45875f240db35d7bdad084a97d2ec7efd21b1266ce348d90e9b639 op_cert_counter: 14