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 8496682 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 86829309 epoch_slot_no: 256509 block_no: 8496505 slot_leader_id: 7046648 size: 37658 time: 2023-03-09 21:00:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd4d87e867db115ade3ae3ebea02060111064c6feb636f7dd6f6b7ad5b3012988Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14kzpx0v3ucdpwju3c55mv90694de9r644ssgc4tedtm8lja6msfsdzgy4d op_cert: \x4fbdaacecc83caf0db3fb3036d92d0814c254eff5ff3cf0a1a69c9755a2818dd op_cert_counter: 1659973047