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 8340509 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 83603150 epoch_slot_no: 54350 block_no: 8340332 slot_leader_id: 5227010 size: 25740 time: 2023-01-31 12:50:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x80dc37643253ee7ffefc83731b8affa7ff7d293430f7b9dc959dc99fb85f9aaeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jag99e3lxegu5qfhgqtv6efagjx7tkjarr6wg90vygjzpyle7s3sldkljh op_cert: \x6fe86a517d0cde7657ef75a6e440f0d812ddc7c5bd7f2125e4bc7f07fe8c2328 op_cert_counter: 15