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 8340548 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 83603921 epoch_slot_no: 55121 block_no: 8340371 slot_leader_id: 5386451 size: 79281 time: 2023-01-31 13:03:32 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5128999d404004894c90b4ff127b46869926b7424c776dacd4535ee1b4d39ec1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj580fj2xsw0pgvcsxz7x30hgladhhnvmv0a6j5cc2xkh2zc4esvq44ev op_cert: \xdf7775efe4ebe5d8c25a92a3d99a879a025f166c59de85a8afa579ec2d5e568c op_cert_counter: 8