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 8496505 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 86826022 epoch_slot_no: 253222 block_no: 8496328 slot_leader_id: 4662751 size: 17979 time: 2023-03-09 20:05:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4d9681368c48d9df80bcd8d583dd26e61defa82a7096729058b063b8f6ced310Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wytjcwdhdzscs33j6qzp9vtq4z9eg7s335x2r6n0mx6cskk9m76qkkk3j2 op_cert: \xc498f7f8868bd1ff063da3a6a383434b75dddb3f7f4e9177aac67ff3b4340897 op_cert_counter: 11