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 8496939 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 86834752 epoch_slot_no: 261952 block_no: 8496762 slot_leader_id: 4623044 size: 29177 time: 2023-03-09 22:30:43 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4f14b6e0c3c4730b08433c5b54d43b8cc87e753d02f59cf072e65e78d5d9b56fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zpefadlau0qqwyx84x622wmrfsf9gc08vsy88p0s2l8gemd93xpqth6mq0 op_cert: \xe7b8c92437edd667763c21f91d318ed36a6372d4d7e44755b7e3e4382d7a1b24 op_cert_counter: 25