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 8340248 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 83597578 epoch_slot_no: 48778 block_no: 8340071 slot_leader_id: 4559948 size: 37712 time: 2023-01-31 11:17:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6f076527d0d8c259f60a11b85ffa0cf4b1c0d5f6e6fd1785761a2fd6b7547e21Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17f6d6lhqs57df92c2ju3ymqmq5uqaxk7drxxr96mj4cz6s37300q9y3av8 op_cert: \x4b087f2eca822eeac447602cc0cf71206fd12504489b4c240138e0e1e0744e65 op_cert_counter: 13