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 8496657 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 86828918 epoch_slot_no: 256118 block_no: 8496480 slot_leader_id: 5151828 size: 18617 time: 2023-03-09 20:53:29 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbc1a064485ca6290158c58e780d23ac0ea752fc5eed638353c5f47a19b37b732Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15k7lt8kzscha56uz6a5n882qupvu2hpe69jt4p2x35ug4lpj63qswls803 op_cert: \xff75155ffeb866cda6aae9496b46a88fd0b7fbec263ccfd49d5679507edac2c3 op_cert_counter: 6