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 8496444 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86824708 epoch_slot_no: 251908 block_no: 8496267 slot_leader_id: 5152259 size: 12137 time: 2023-03-09 19:43:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xab321c4070ddff72502b42550cf0a6133b2fde4d01ceb6f13ccbb18d4476f6baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y78shuvly24p9wdhu9wljt7yyyh9ddfgcf3aljgqy52s5rmgqjlsyhzch6 op_cert: \xc41ad6aa63168887c841c9ec75b1b4e40d9c4f6b97c1cc8a8081b0a5b114a2db op_cert_counter: 15