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 8344573 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 83687140 epoch_slot_no: 138340 block_no: 8344396 slot_leader_id: 4960121 size: 23406 time: 2023-02-01 12:10:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x157aa259af87bf74c3b1bafd7acd968f75433c4e193827453d0c47097ac8920eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cfgvfc8fxl43esu8evy9n6gj0nf48ve8464hsqy4t4c9e2qf3dqqx2976l op_cert: \xec7afa8b272043f5de4d1f12632debc7ef7995ca9cb9ac8aa2f2f1548bc27573 op_cert_counter: 12