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 8496457 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 86824963 epoch_slot_no: 252163 block_no: 8496280 slot_leader_id: 4614591 size: 19917 time: 2023-03-09 19:47:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9f17ef1155197d2af4157b5cde33cd7076199c52f15bc21e03cf5eb30b7d0b34Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lnjfdgme34cun04rzmng683dq8u37wpu20ygrc0vz2fkun7jjmrsdaa3dx op_cert: \x20a474bd666ee061b3da2af05774bc62ee33cd5e64791444f26c2200d3384848 op_cert_counter: 19