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 8340521 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 83603407 epoch_slot_no: 54607 block_no: 8340344 slot_leader_id: 5047313 size: 29835 time: 2023-01-31 12:54:58 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x647ea6a53eaf213c3a157cac59a090934a23b2eec734019e06f4621e687fba8dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cwukgz49fxl6w6g9wtq4kc7eptuyxv66kgfc7heyv0c3etn579sqg9djx9 op_cert: \xd14832fe39080b340b79842286b58cdd4a59f1eb13d2b1558d6cdf91927a08a2 op_cert_counter: 9