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 8496508 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86826074 epoch_slot_no: 253274 block_no: 8496331 slot_leader_id: 8347698 size: 36651 time: 2023-03-09 20:06:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1e31c9df7412840046902e90c9bf24e5602e912842d6e0eadcbf52ced9566c14Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk104mx7ag2tnkxq9lznmcpakphq9fvprdl44yzrn00def0yjdkhcjq96yzas op_cert: \x042d4f27e4c1177585288f93a1a9a043ed62133fcc768ac59b8eada3505f1b08 op_cert_counter: 2