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 8496597 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 86827677 epoch_slot_no: 254877 block_no: 8496420 slot_leader_id: 4583744 size: 5465 time: 2023-03-09 20:32:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4d1f8480a6afc83a23aa9d3c7609bed2c6355e12e2b28e1e9c28a06180644151Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u9sg4d2u8wqqaxp9uxfyh9ky4stt0fqmydvf4t8a8rn7suv6zjns2gavac op_cert: \xf73b64b6b70ed4a1b0820be66172277792fb16e81bb84d6782a98376ebebd4ad op_cert_counter: 12