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 8496940 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 86834761 epoch_slot_no: 261961 block_no: 8496763 slot_leader_id: 6447359 size: 48923 time: 2023-03-09 22:30:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x707202c889bdd2c27b945412f13a5f58f8e301a6225cb87113d93428b6a9015dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ufkxe2rwywsmmks6ldvqu6yw6efxz08spz5mv39f6ve9w7ss447qn23fsm op_cert: \xe9431613b866d8755d9e98bfb0a2b29f2cfd38e92de6dc304ff45b47a3bab704 op_cert_counter: 9