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 8340608 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 83605122 epoch_slot_no: 56322 block_no: 8340431 slot_leader_id: 7335667 size: 5384 time: 2023-01-31 13:23:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3957872e107f9680b17614afefa5003e2c4d6ab9cb310a4d0dacfa428547828eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uthj9utmwjr4cfz0d7fyzfdnz86438uf08xppd4j5vazrw7v2mcs2cdges op_cert: \x3dd409981863e386ef945fde49769a70dc89205b80eb58fb9f1a91c2d366d5c5 op_cert_counter: 1659975080