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 8340442 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 83601823 epoch_slot_no: 53023 block_no: 8340265 slot_leader_id: 4555865 size: 63832 time: 2023-01-31 12:28:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x810302174918b2534ff73178c27a8bcc241fe188942d0b907d08e37a0960a46fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y6rlw79mmm0pjw2n29w0rjr5vgqsrje3nasr3elt2kvm0v9g0z5q40m3d2 op_cert: \xdb54ab4fc1294a6b5251bce567778c825a0597d90a0f1f126fb5d267aae1ea88 op_cert_counter: 12