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 8496720 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86830234 epoch_slot_no: 257434 block_no: 8496543 slot_leader_id: 5263404 size: 12821 time: 2023-03-09 21:15:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52fe36602f90101393907f320b9055acd1d5244aacc06d44ea52de2eea34f9a3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cu9waer74yfxp29rlp947kyavq0r6ql2lruarlwlelg7hwc84xjs8s25gd op_cert: \x1f296b0d1fe7be1f18f69e4524487a210f5d771ea92c8dc749b65d4899b82e24 op_cert_counter: 8