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 8344596 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 83687427 epoch_slot_no: 138627 block_no: 8344419 slot_leader_id: 5507686 size: 32115 time: 2023-02-01 12:15:18 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x44f6b635ac9c752836e9647404bc91242799748aa405a1348b3a23460b1bc6e0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kzhq8xj03l7u669l3r67qplsz4ydh0quj0yphzrnumksqrtknp8sd2r470 op_cert: \xfe98bbd21798355ed06c5f8129d49de41ca08adc9a292940873b852795064361 op_cert_counter: 8