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 8357638 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 83951870 epoch_slot_no: 403070 block_no: 8357461 slot_leader_id: 5449400 size: 30196 time: 2023-02-04 13:42:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca681372170fb61fce0b4ed0f343ace72dcc1fcac6f3277343283c3f78849a2cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xjqpwtdf9vc4khjwlpyf6q8zkkcs2tq2qa58lk3q24v7z4a53n5sk4dfkz op_cert: \xd136908dc6a083fd2e6b45198af11eeb0ae0f5de4f61b1e76f2167db59db82f4 op_cert_counter: 9