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 8496591 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 86827600 epoch_slot_no: 254800 block_no: 8496414 slot_leader_id: 5156956 size: 62807 time: 2023-03-09 20:31:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaeaac95eb082207087fc2cc831d869def6cc1ddf5a789177d114975584b734efBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17tgmhlh2ksvwd9pjgghq03v8qjtmwc7a2m4hrtessvk7tkc59wfsg0am4p op_cert: \xfef2858f6b5f761fa52fcb92873477e46edb02efb242d7afa2eb3b40368c104d op_cert_counter: 20