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 8496604 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 86827864 epoch_slot_no: 255064 block_no: 8496427 slot_leader_id: 5047313 size: 19483 time: 2023-03-09 20:35:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4783b5deb77a77b462f978174a4d6143e658483821b5740dbf00254573ac8ff0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cwukgz49fxl6w6g9wtq4kc7eptuyxv66kgfc7heyv0c3etn579sqg9djx9 op_cert: \x400b5fc4437d7e9c2828b32e5617ac94b4152f52419c68c8602c04316da0fa80 op_cert_counter: 10