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 8304406 Details
Epoch: 389 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 82859083 epoch_slot_no: 174283 block_no: 8304229 slot_leader_id: 5412888 size: 88698 time: 2023-01-22 22:09:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x79590c6fa9d6155f994057c0c7a56ff00b8f459e9dea73adbfdb88139a753f8eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1umjdmha7dv34uzhgn9p3xkx98fhawcy7t4knxtmqx2rysdwzhlls9yk9fc op_cert: \xc39fd4942742b54676285867ddfdf7eadae93553ef84c95262707f5e5c1d935d op_cert_counter: 8