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 8496603 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86827854 epoch_slot_no: 255054 block_no: 8496426 slot_leader_id: 7046900 size: 32333 time: 2023-03-09 20:35:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0917b6cb80a43263140f1d8fa5e33bc8c56f6cade2375dddc2f2e15f5180f5abBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk197w95j9alkwt8l4g7xkccknhn4pqwx65c5saxnn5ej3cpmps72msgpw69d op_cert: \xa207023db879bb163820008f2f74ee2186d87f6d79495bb5556874b413cffb6a op_cert_counter: 1659973009