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 8496853 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 59 slot_no: 86832976 epoch_slot_no: 260176 block_no: 8496676 slot_leader_id: 5218645 size: 88056 time: 2023-03-09 22:01:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa3dc3863ba098891032532d9aa3b31e5f2a20b435104083fd8622e8cc71b458eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cr3fmmh5vxgca4c7yg662zryxt9uuvnj98ldj2lqa5w56fq2dqqqpje9yj op_cert: \x713afa11d5354dfb1c106191b942cc873ab047938a4a016c2c8e8b8694e09971 op_cert_counter: 11