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 8496876 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 86833448 epoch_slot_no: 260648 block_no: 8496699 slot_leader_id: 4576734 size: 23174 time: 2023-03-09 22:08:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31e4bf9b126b0389e46380647b0495f781f11e3dc51c0a408be652ee75111f96Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fn3agt7xmk39nath728znyshgtjkwzqmddawqvtffzaz7wxv07yqtr3usw op_cert: \x6dc53e7edc60f6a0856fe12b8e9d28236a7fac403f5f543d66836d3542ac90a5 op_cert_counter: 15