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 8496445 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 37 slot_no: 86824749 epoch_slot_no: 251949 block_no: 8496268 slot_leader_id: 7920586 size: 71893 time: 2023-03-09 19:44:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x496ff1e0b5e3d39661b47b9bc77441ab7f47f90e2a6f803199330497119f4c7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wzw22vfhx43966dqmek46wmjd5clwc8pacsqztlzu8g3z7fv3ayqkc8e3r op_cert: \x0f31426917f2bbec8a278dad11e600ab366a29d43bfc8ba730ad541412ed3a03 op_cert_counter: 5