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 8496737 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 86830524 epoch_slot_no: 257724 block_no: 8496560 slot_leader_id: 6618191 size: 87024 time: 2023-03-09 21:20:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf882e8ca07fa3400141e7b2f201e5b76010e29d4bfa9330ae863b43fb4cd10e6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kkmpqpgn4m92dqeusyvdvydl6wy8mthe59svsdctntq44kpuyglsfnu4wh op_cert: \x3344cedb23f6af28700364744558e302b637344c2559424e90c662b8a695f140 op_cert_counter: 7