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 8496440 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86824654 epoch_slot_no: 251854 block_no: 8496263 slot_leader_id: 6498793 size: 21810 time: 2023-03-09 19:42:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x593fba431d3a425fd8bc5d2e8579f82b462779b8708445b52990820f4da6dc83Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1j59j0tx5ckzx05c6u0d9k8hutcum8w42efjmwpy4uuxkrk7rd4rs0jrayj op_cert: \x6e34d19fcad2d9698a690bc486ff9fa6a7c02c2487fe3bf840484a30e8bfc7b9 op_cert_counter: 8