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 8496608 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 86827953 epoch_slot_no: 255153 block_no: 8496431 slot_leader_id: 5512512 size: 88674 time: 2023-03-09 20:37:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x36a7434503ad7c4268d9031eb3466b955a073205f4393c44943a389a852f88c5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ujzmswdqmjh5v70tpvzg4fkdnrau5xwnktthmuucq9fl3ugee6gs9gg52h op_cert: \x7fdcaa0eeb98e42f0014e9b7de95b957ba1644b0f518edd55655f50113c19e46 op_cert_counter: 8