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 8496881 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 86833519 epoch_slot_no: 260719 block_no: 8496704 slot_leader_id: 5334772 size: 33992 time: 2023-03-09 22:10:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x745d55f317608dcabba77e84198fce584568c78500f731229afc5ec29ff71aaaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15t0yu4rurg67vxz54q0athfdmp7an5cresl5s23qwayjnj37zf3s2zemcq op_cert: \xcff22b454d583aaccac9d8b82e7975c99c612f5110c107d288068f6e2cdb182d op_cert_counter: 10