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 8496434 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86824602 epoch_slot_no: 251802 block_no: 8496257 slot_leader_id: 6405679 size: 55739 time: 2023-03-09 19:41:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x38dd6974dd3c2f8ae844a7bc785ea5d36a6a672ea7d76e81a6f28651ba899018Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw2580kvcz64gxgmwn4u49h3w2n63qlw6sdxnstu6fufg63mhxzsv7qg0v op_cert: \x984b0e8705205cbf9e516db081e11ac2b54a5cf7b2f34909c5e1821efcbdefec op_cert_counter: 5