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 8496678 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 86829256 epoch_slot_no: 256456 block_no: 8496501 slot_leader_id: 4581588 size: 2135 time: 2023-03-09 20:59:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9dbf9658976df52145659d0d78a04faa5a4d46e873b71ec837f553520dfb78e8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m5tnjq3exhpu8mfcy6rl5xe5jedd8adzx6n5syju3vj8p5yhfels900hls op_cert: \x54a2c60ff6d48ad1a2ec281feb03ccc838cd543028b508076386c5f585520eb8 op_cert_counter: 12