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 8496460 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 86825042 epoch_slot_no: 252242 block_no: 8496283 slot_leader_id: 4556473 size: 51895 time: 2023-03-09 19:48:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31b300a5081ef8d39af60dc63888da779c9bd176207b9b2ac0f2bde5af8ad70fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wqptsu5qtu77rtvghckm2knuykntte2egfaqa4duc328p4q6rjls569vn3 op_cert: \x1cfbcb7b1215bd8f7b2cb1cf07c74064f05d3d2ac8f6c0168e57e3cedff72f37 op_cert_counter: 14