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 8496652 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 86828830 epoch_slot_no: 256030 block_no: 8496475 slot_leader_id: 4572916 size: 56161 time: 2023-03-09 20:52:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x35261d2b6a5f9ad0ae382b982fe2a21bc625d58c7cee998b4feac66956f09aeaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sh946l2qfxu5q8xu7sw3xmp07d4ph764frje3qm0p2wy6pu08u2qxwxfqw op_cert: \x02cda2e51c5dab98386b36f80a0c6929c91f6b21a8bb821c6351f696a99b7fc2 op_cert_counter: 20