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 8496686 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 86829394 epoch_slot_no: 256594 block_no: 8496509 slot_leader_id: 7376318 size: 76974 time: 2023-03-09 21:01:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0a6c7f7a04c56b5f7dc06cca1d3b3f7b6c8c4203c24f75bd1e8550631f3c3be2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cmequ53at5z6wfecymqfj335f03xv2ak3mh434lqdfgylg6zvsdq9zcms8 op_cert: \xb313db58eb04695e715c6263fbd677591ec89383ef410ded3c550c61679546e6 op_cert_counter: 1659975269