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 8496817 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 38 slot_no: 86832251 epoch_slot_no: 259451 block_no: 8496640 slot_leader_id: 4556102 size: 81115 time: 2023-03-09 21:49:02 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe55a2042ffbd827a45dfdac1603fcf4f12f89f987bf6b8697c33b96c430991d2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w4dsu3xp2v2rqzfz22t906sea38xk29htmzfm950egxa7s65sp9symvnkx op_cert: \x8f4aa500c0e6c3a4e6245915d9c79667a59590281f44016eff654e732099aa3e op_cert_counter: 13