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 8496715 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 86830025 epoch_slot_no: 257225 block_no: 8496538 slot_leader_id: 4555604 size: 83195 time: 2023-03-09 21:11:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x93fbe71aa619f69f82ef728a6848bedf3a46bc6e64c8261b804e44790b498a4aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kjk3hkkgrrxpxufa2sptam0gsycr9s9yuy5jnrk9ez2swmuk7p0s0ueylm op_cert: \x7ec008c106da9e01591d5c9eb6102b5a1f2752bc5599906a2ab432bc45451f87 op_cert_counter: 19