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 8496587 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 86827520 epoch_slot_no: 254720 block_no: 8496410 slot_leader_id: 4563470 size: 44878 time: 2023-03-09 20:30:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8aa2cf614421892f1b38eb3efd6adb8ef08690224006b7f160c9d59635c65836Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fmkjgjt7t50p49zn0gul8eca0kjuk6kgpc0k6ka2jk5ndq2znu2qh8n508 op_cert: \x0b433690053b75883ce56fbcb150ab0c7af1f43550778ef05c637f50f03af9ff op_cert_counter: 13