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 8344608 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 83687616 epoch_slot_no: 138816 block_no: 8344431 slot_leader_id: 5086951 size: 24683 time: 2023-02-01 12:18:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb829ffa29b3f07a463758c2c819454b4721405e48b77e254689516b73dce634aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18x0e7dx8j37gdxftnn8ru6jcxs7n6acdazc4ykeda2ygjwg9a7ls7ns699 op_cert: \x63b5c09e2cd095f9c4b5f1cce7c596db91555a85be186a95b55eda1503edb73c op_cert_counter: 14