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 8496870 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 86833332 epoch_slot_no: 260532 block_no: 8496693 slot_leader_id: 5616171 size: 22570 time: 2023-03-09 22:07:03 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb5545a62ab5eb2d86654f5d0a99997afc7451885f045964548bf9c6314f98d18Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10e789vyjaks8l3q0gqxzhs7mn03xj4tpdtuzl3v7lvc77derxnmqvh4t7d op_cert: \x76fc92125e08d469a1c0bbb85c3e58cbaf01f4dae427da35223cb5b23e728d1a op_cert_counter: 11