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 8496676 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 86829242 epoch_slot_no: 256442 block_no: 8496499 slot_leader_id: 7047398 size: 17861 time: 2023-03-09 20:58:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66faa0ee61a793f9848d643b2c84aa6d67591b93c3f78e98995d2d475c5c6ccbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18jk9z47znwq3zhtenadn9gehtmjns7jv5npj4ccdqy49yq7v306seaatt5 op_cert: \x39123f12b734cc9100757fd20a9b81641a2c0f8f5126be21f30cd3f12d44080a op_cert_counter: 1659972712