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 8496462 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 86825073 epoch_slot_no: 252273 block_no: 8496285 slot_leader_id: 4562285 size: 52968 time: 2023-03-09 19:49:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb04a1dccb095f7a8b467cd784ef5b646bbad4835ab3c55bac8ca930a8d86083cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vxkyne4ftwjz4vlla756mlfqrmzwx35mkhk7d993njzmceksfp2q3kp8d4 op_cert: \xd7ea9b2f9968af84bcf6cb637408f9d93e6561d9534234108e7fb53f8e53e113 op_cert_counter: 15