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 8496554 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 86826896 epoch_slot_no: 254096 block_no: 8496377 slot_leader_id: 4555892 size: 16560 time: 2023-03-09 20:19:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7890b521fb2ccc05a4145c33fe07273a041f9b881f547aec218975799e2c04f5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pgcwdc0qvw7ejcrlqhxltpv5qrk4s8l8n3f64z8kjkaep6pqyljsxe7272 op_cert: \x391eb4ea3c3126f3e2898a771f029529e7d4b78483cfd4b7d9af5b62b6c9d8be op_cert_counter: 15