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 8346521 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 83727648 epoch_slot_no: 178848 block_no: 8346344 slot_leader_id: 5986012 size: 10403 time: 2023-02-01 23:25:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6517cfbd3158e58a466889d9f16bd8b9e93263e6a46fb2f99d312dc4d2f2b7d2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yr7qdf605ztl9rku959ydtprqjt5sshre2q960g9f6csm9xka6gqzg03va op_cert: \x51581a475a2bf61abb0dbde776707a875f4ec36b42f4bd84c592cff060b44417 op_cert_counter: 9