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 8317656 Details
Epoch: 390 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 83131168 epoch_slot_no: 14368 block_no: 8317479 slot_leader_id: 5386322 size: 87779 time: 2023-01-26 01:44:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2abf2bb4e534c2e339b824f673c5c93fe074173cec8a7fb3967b38bd18f5d8aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sk0zwdm0lu50432n7js628zwwj0ttqaa6luyuwf5dklgsmq4vn4scmvjxz op_cert: \x97df0be40439b05d44ff078b39c735fc29cada5d99ef55824d96dd8b37b4f411 op_cert_counter: 9