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 8344683 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 83689449 epoch_slot_no: 140649 block_no: 8344506 slot_leader_id: 4578791 size: 21762 time: 2023-02-01 12:49:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbaa34ed8b0c74d50152d15d8785c82460abb89269b9f4215ba3dee13f1b910b6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12znkwvpp8kvjvqj6g6aynch77eyawm0xv7jranp8f24vmuznlqgqqnsgsq op_cert: \x5d2da44d9fd9ce52e3289570e372510733ad8a57126d224cce726a54def667f4 op_cert_counter: 13