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 8496427 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 86824479 epoch_slot_no: 251679 block_no: 8496250 slot_leader_id: 5279197 size: 86413 time: 2023-03-09 19:39:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd99822ae1f4525078a92e8cddac22013d5c68125b9bb97d3bfb9a1ff498fb4a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kd22333ze3g69nkml34h36syj5wjedxxm8ykcdlsvgvd5cgklh8sh6szq8 op_cert: \x56aef86eea2becba22c7b78fe6341f6c392acd73a132d3cd4f9ae787453693d3 op_cert_counter: 9