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 8496685 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 86829361 epoch_slot_no: 256561 block_no: 8496508 slot_leader_id: 5533488 size: 50334 time: 2023-03-09 21:00:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe4e9d11c4fb872f1b1c5d854c1c81e8298186cd21cac2bb7c916caa45be67259Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14amea4z9vufwkppsm6s84uhyarnmk0m7ynlr2ehn7nj90c2m979q5tazaq op_cert: \x8dbcd355b3ceba32655012d4e104e6758b81e59babb8cf8001d40fc289a4da32 op_cert_counter: 15