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 8496648 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 86828714 epoch_slot_no: 255914 block_no: 8496471 slot_leader_id: 7880633 size: 33885 time: 2023-03-09 20:50:05 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x997fdc9fa60bcd40878251c3fbdf0ca6554d31a079fde0b48948e103ea5902f8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fmy2u2mlsuvxpv22z3dvd50yefxpz552ck4n6ja60z68ytqsqmaqd3hqec op_cert: \xd6cf3cccd756500cf0da67c702d6d915dca6d187518c9978fae717962863387a op_cert_counter: 3