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 8346603 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 83729361 epoch_slot_no: 180561 block_no: 8346426 slot_leader_id: 4577845 size: 73081 time: 2023-02-01 23:54:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8b83af1e239b3d87a9528836c43b8815c57286f6f04179d86dcafe365cb813e1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqt0tpt9sxq3wz5eahqhqjcm8ak6pjc78ua4y4968lhsw3s7xl5qlz58rv op_cert: \x9c9593fd5d82f2faf00e0f47f302b3d2e942509ec911e8d51fcbab242770c434 op_cert_counter: 12