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 8496805 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 86832037 epoch_slot_no: 259237 block_no: 8496628 slot_leader_id: 6847501 size: 20177 time: 2023-03-09 21:45:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc3b4c0f8da4c4fcc6c1757888590d9bc4718496c61ea72a4eefac5de390c936bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tthnkhf0wzaeyumg70fg8p5wtkvjgjr82vnvewveyel22ezhm2cqrh88fq op_cert: \x7e56748eed544a3964b9a8e80db60c3c3273c961681add5bab2b8666599076bf op_cert_counter: 5