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 8496533 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86826516 epoch_slot_no: 253716 block_no: 8496356 slot_leader_id: 4636355 size: 12991 time: 2023-03-09 20:13:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xefc41a825a284df4ea1b85a94dd8505669d94e86b0f89d99d83d3ec3f83f1dafBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s8t9cm805fjq7jyvl5ehdrqzqhykrv234vze03eh0s9evfnz5npqt5k68k op_cert: \x90de7484737495b53aa6fa2faeb39bc7285f5d74e114d17fa051fbd403e45d8c op_cert_counter: 10