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 8496528 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 86826486 epoch_slot_no: 253686 block_no: 8496351 slot_leader_id: 6864063 size: 35290 time: 2023-03-09 20:12:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf33bac53f87e6c636a0095c85d707f511b1d58a32a450cdb311e0a873bec18dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16qeqezkenfyhfy9jku0ynuvl3wrmuwdhym98nud5t6j6tu6chamq64vuy5 op_cert: \xb062ad70e40db3bc5430d97295b71620cfdb2c80bb6089b89bb13a1bfa8ac700 op_cert_counter: 5