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 8496902 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 58 slot_no: 86834049 epoch_slot_no: 261249 block_no: 8496725 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 87120 time: 2023-03-09 22:19:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x56239fc6e11ccb5852730a5a0cdfd1a92ad51bdf0086f1b36d2f66f0cb77706fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \xfa3b48fae329a9c4f4d39adc725e11f1beef750bdd8d02e27f1b8f27f3c51af1 op_cert_counter: 13