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 8496465 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 86825186 epoch_slot_no: 252386 block_no: 8496288 slot_leader_id: 7046900 size: 38615 time: 2023-03-09 19:51:17 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x520de4214358166788709484ac937dfdaef301aee4dbad101297ac297613e5d9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk197w95j9alkwt8l4g7xkccknhn4pqwx65c5saxnn5ej3cpmps72msgpw69d op_cert: \xa207023db879bb163820008f2f74ee2186d87f6d79495bb5556874b413cffb6a op_cert_counter: 1659973009