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 8496690 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 86829478 epoch_slot_no: 256678 block_no: 8496513 slot_leader_id: 5023718 size: 88572 time: 2023-03-09 21:02:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5935ddb3d6cee79d0deb6095afd1da353df43cdc6614b8b4ff97a8d041987ed3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13394aw38pqs9qudwszpkz4wq4rqglgm6hcp8kv8uswvudt4f633sjzuml4 op_cert: \x627b263e4182f952c81ee627e90cbbe7c17320483a2f38fec6bd616135a2c4da op_cert_counter: 16