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 8340493 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 83602881 epoch_slot_no: 54081 block_no: 8340316 slot_leader_id: 4559410 size: 68801 time: 2023-01-31 12:46:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3e4c1725065d8dd409c3f3447463c501844947bf2be85488f56ec90130d8491cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zull6yxhycymv7q0l4lkrzz8r0g7kcm8cghypcajrtvh90dy73wsu3hew2 op_cert: \xf1e9595268deb987ad73c49336d932948989a6617035c3d43b742f897952b5b7 op_cert_counter: 11