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 8496674 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 86829205 epoch_slot_no: 256405 block_no: 8496497 slot_leader_id: 8048683 size: 35936 time: 2023-03-09 20:58:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xac1549936754bc6c934e9b0b6eefda26499f9425a69489055ee2dcef2bc984cdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cr08r7dmxk2r2whzzpzmrlmw83qm0ma02rfhcw7jnejaplwxknzqtm5jrd op_cert: \x75996978875c991effe74a19f6c2388385464ac460b99851edb2f7124c0c3125 op_cert_counter: 2