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 8496808 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 86832088 epoch_slot_no: 259288 block_no: 8496631 slot_leader_id: 7046472 size: 54516 time: 2023-03-09 21:46:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e2635917aca95e87d8fe572b3048cadf0a8da020d2751bb7ceac294ffd08d0cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ggupvuw2683qe4m9qpg9ahk48ecr29x2azcjy92v5h529c82z8es9kssun op_cert: \xe59167091aa8c222c13b6adc0c9c20a7802f3dd71897669e6bfb83a06007061e op_cert_counter: 1659972755