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 8040509 Details
Epoch: 376 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 77438291 epoch_slot_no: 369491 block_no: 8040332 slot_leader_id: 4604290 size: 48032 time: 2022-11-21 04:23:02 proto_major: 7 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x36c03dc64b82c17a063e88f30a22fc3648fd4942fea614e052d312cf15bbd27aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ck5fsw5vhjg83kv4jjetaw3xjydxnl4zvthnm2yrw5wmq6v03xmsja44am op_cert: \x529122f8807974b62bd21065526ed48e59cc53bd1760aa2212dbe674df6226e4 op_cert_counter: 16